The commonitory of Saint Vincent of Lerins

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The commonitory of Saint
01 GC

THE COMMONITORY

OF

SAINT VINCENT OF LERINS,

TRANSLATED

FROM THE CORRECT EDITION OF BALUZIU3,

WITH NOTES, HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY,

_ TO WHICH IS PREFIXED

AN ABSTRACT OF THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, FROM

VEN. ALBAN BUTLER,

AND EXTRACTS FROM

bossdet’s exposition of the catholic faith.

BY THE

REV. J. SHANAHAN,

PASTOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF TROY.

iPATH3, WHERE IS THE GOOD WAY.

Jer. vi. 16.

\) 7 7 1 -

PREFACE.

\

St. Vincent was of a Gaulish extraction, had a
polite education, was for some time a military
officer, and lived with dignity in society. He in¬
forms us in his prologue, that having been some¬
time tossed about in the storms of a bustling mili¬
tary life, he began seriously to consider the dangers
with which he was surrounded and the vanity and
folly of his pursuits. He desired to take shelter in
the harbour of religion, which he calls the safest
refuge from the world. His view in this resolution
was, that he might strenuously labour to divest his
soul of its ruffling passions of pride and vanity, and
to offer to God the acceptable sacrifice of a humble
and Christian spirit : and that being farther removed
from worldly temptations, he might endeavour more
easily to avoid not only the wrecks of the present life
but also the burnings of that to come. In these
dispositions he retired from the crowds of cities,
and made for the desired harbour with all the sail
he could. The place he chose for his retirement
was in a small island, sheltered from the noise of the
world. This Gennadius assures to have been the
famous monastery of Lerins, situated in the lesser of
two agreeable islands, which formerly bore the
name of Jjerins, not far from the coast of lower
province towards Antibes. In this place he shut

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IV

PREFACE.

himself up, that he might attend solely to what God
commands us, and to study to know Him. He
considered that true faith is necessary to salvation
no less than morality; and that the former is the
foundation of Christian virtue : and he grieved to see
the Church at that time pestered with numberless
heresies, which sucked their poison from their very
antidote, the Holy Scriptures, and which by various
wiles spread on every side their dangerous snares.
To guard the faithful against the false and perplex¬
ing glosses of modern subtle refiners, and to open
the eyes of those who had been already seduced by
them, he with great clearness, eloquence and force
of reasoning wrote a book which he entitled, “A
Commonitory against Heretics” which he composed
A. D. 434, three years after the general council of
Ephesus had condemned the Nestorians. ’ He had
chiefly in view the heretics of his own times,
especially the Nestorians and Apollinarists, but he
confuted them by general clear principles which
overturn all heresies to the end of the world. To¬
gether with the ornaments of eloquence and erudition,
the inward beauty of his mind, and the brightness of
his devotion sparkle in every page of his book.

He lays down this rule, in which all Catholic
Pastors and the Ancient Fathers agree, that such
is truly Catholic Doctrine, “whatever hath been
believed in all places, at all times, and by all the
Faithful.” By this test of Catholicity, Antiquity,
and consent, he says, all controverted points in
belief must be tried. He shows, that whilst Nova-

PREFACE.

V

tion, Photinus, Sabellius, &c. expound the divine
oracles different ways : to avoid the perplexity of
errors, we must interpret the Holy Scriptures by the
tradition of the Catholic Church, as the clue to con¬
duct in the truth. The saint adds, that if a doubt
arise in interpreting the meaning of the Scriptures
in any point of faith, we must summon in the holy
Fathers who have lived and died in the faith and
communion of the Catholic Church, and by this test
we shall prove the false doctrine to be novel. For
hat only we must look upon as indubitably certaint
and unalterable, which all or the major part of these
fathers have delivered, like the harmonious consent
of a general council. But if any one among them,
he he ever so holy, ever so learned, holds any thing
besides, or in opposition to the rest, that is to be placed
in the rank of singular and private opinions, and
never to be looked upon as the public, general,
authoritative doctrine of the church. After a point
has been decided in a general council, the definition
is irrefragable.

St. Vincent remarks that souls which have lost
the anchorage of the Catholic faith are tossed and
shattered with inward storms of clashing thoughts,
that by this restless posture of mind they may be
made sensible of their danger: and taking down the
sails of pride and vanity which they have unhappily
spread before every gust of heresy, they may make
all the sail they can into the safe and peaceful
harbour of this holy Mother the Catholic Church;
and being sick from a surfeit of errors, they may

VI

PREFACE.

there discharge those foul and bitter waters, to
make room for the pure waters of life. There they
may [unlearn well what they had learned ill, may
get a right notion of all those doctrines of the
Church they are capable of understanding, and
believe those that surpass all understanding. (Chap.
20.)

As St. Vincent had grounded his rule of faith
upon these three principles. First. — The Holy
Bible. Second, — Tradition. Third. — The definitions
or decrees of general councils. So is it proper to
premise a few remarks respecting these important
points. For nothing can strengthen us more in the
Catholic faith, nor draw from the Protestant an
avowal of the novelty of diis opinions on religion,
than the perfect conformity that exists between the
belief of Catholics now and in the fifth century,
when St. Vincent lived. But in order to show this
conformity of the ' Catholic Church in all ages,
nothing must be adduced, but what all Catholics
hold as articles of faith. Now on the one hand
St. Vincent on the Scripture, Tradition, Decrees
and Definitions of General Council, as the rule of
faith in the fifth Century, held by the then living
Catholics; so on the other hand Bossuet, with whom
all Catholics agree, in his Exposition, says : “ Christ
Jesus laid the foundation of his Church upon the
authority of preaching. And the consequence there¬
fore is, that the unwritten word was the first rule
of Christianity,* a rule, which, ever when the books

* Matt. 28 19. Mark 16, 15. 1 Cor. 11, 23 & 15, 3.

FREFACE.

vii

of the New Testament were superadded to it, did
not upon this account lose any share of its former
authority. For this reason it is, that we receive
with an equal degree of veneration, whatever has
been taught by the Apostles ; whether this were
communicated by writing or inculcated only by
word of mouth, according to the express declaration
of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, commanding
them to hold fast the traditions which they had heen
taught , whether by word or by epistle. (2 Thess.
2. 15 and 3. 6. 2 Tim. 1. 13 and 2. 2.) There

cannot indeed exist a sign more indisputably certain,
that any peculiar doctrine derives its origin, and has
descended down to us, from the Apostles, than when
it has been embraced by all the Churches of the
Christian world, without the possibility of pointing
out any fixed period of its introduction. We cannot
help receiving whatever is established in this man¬
ner. We do it even with that willing submission
which is due, we feel, to the divine Authority.
Indeed I am convinced that the Protestants them¬
selves, where their reason is not warpedi and ren¬
dered obstinate by prejudice, entertain at the bottom
of their hearts the very same opinion. For it is
impossible to imagine, that any tenet, which has
been admitted since the dawn of Christianity itself,
could really have derived its origin from any other
source than of the Apostles. Hence the Protestant
ought not to be astonished that the Catholic Church,
careful to collect and retain whatever our forefathers
have bequeathed unto us, preserves with venera-

vi'ii

Preface.

tion the holy Depositum of Tradition; just as with
piety she reveres the Sacred Treasures of the Holy
Scriptures.

“The Church has been,” says Bossuet, “established
by the power and wisdom of its sacred author, in
order to be the guide of Christian Faith ; the director
of Christian piety ; the guardian of the Scriptures,
and the preserver of tradition. We therefore re¬
ceive from her hands these Holy Writings, which
we revere as canonical. I am convinced, even spite
of the contrary assertion, that it is her authority
chiefly, that induces the Protestant himself to re¬
ceive as inspired several portions of the holy
volumes. It is hence that he admits as divine the
Canticle of Canticles, or Song of Solomon, which,
in fact possesses hardly any intrinsic marks of
inspiration; hence that he respects the Epistle of
St.’ James, which Luther rejects as spurious;
hence that he reveres the Epistle of St. Jude,
whose authority on account of certain apochryphal
books, which are quoted in it, might to many appear
spurious. But in short, it is not, it cannot be, upon
any other authority, in reality, that the Protestant
receives as inspired the whole body of Sacred Scrip-
tttres. For it is his custom to revere these even
before their perusal has convinced him, that the
Spirit of God is infused into them.

“Attached therefore, as we inseparably are to the
holy authority of the Church, by the means of the
Scriptures, which we receive from her hands, we
learn from her also the doctrines of tradition, and

PREFACE.

IX

by means of tradition the genuine sense of the sacred
pages. It is for this reason that the Church pro¬
fesses to teach nothing as from herself; or to in¬
vent any new article of belief. What alone she
does is under the influence and direction of the
Holy Ghost, simply to declare the divine Reve¬
lation: and after having declared, to follow it.
And that the Holy Ghost does really explain him¬
self by the mouth of the Church, of this we have
positive evidence on the occasion of the dispute,
which in the time of the Apostles, took place re¬
specting the ceremonies of the Law. The acts of
these founders of our holy institute in the decision
of this important controversy, form a record which
instructs all succeeding ages, where that authority
resides, by which all religious differences ought
always to be determined. So that, whatever dis¬
pute shall unhappily occur to divide the faithful, the
Church upon such an occasion will always interfere
with her authority; and her Pastors, convened in
council, will always, in imitation of the Apostles,
say : it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and
to us. Acts 15. When she has spoken in this
manner, then shall her children be instructed; and
made to understand, that now it is no longer theirs
to examine anew the articles which have been thus
decided: but in humble acquiescence to submit to
her decrees. This is merely imitating the example
of St. Paul and Silas: who when they carried to
the faithful the first ordinance of the Apostles, so far
from allowing them any fresh discussion of the

X

PREFACE.

point, which had been decided, they on the contrary,
went through the provinces teaching all to observe
the decrees of the Apostles. Acts 16. v. 4.

“ Thus it is that the true children of God, with
humble acquiescence submit, their judgment to the
wiser judgment of the Church ; convinced, that by
her mouth, they hear delivered to them the oracles
of the Holy Ghost. It is in consequence of this
conviction, that after having said in the Creed, I
believe in the Holy Ghost, we immediately add,
and in the holy Catholic Church, tying ourselves
by these words to acknowledge that the depositum
of truth is, in this universal Church preserved for
ever, unfailing, perpetual and entire. Indeed this
Church, which we reverence as perpetual, would
cease to be a Church, did she once cease to teach
the genuine truths of revelation. So that the in¬
dividuals, who think, or are apprehensive, that she
will abuse her authority for the purpose of propagat¬
ing error, do not in reality possess that faith,
which they ought to do, in that divine Spirit, by
whom that sacred institution is directed.”

“And let the Protestant consider objects in a
merely human point of view: he will, even in this
case, be reduced to acknowledge, that the Catholic
Church so far from endeavouring, as her adversaries
often assert she does, to tyrannise over the belief
of her members, she, on the contrary, has employed
every expedient possible to bind herself, and to
deprive herself of the means of introducing innova¬
tions. For these ends, not only does she submit to

PREFACE.

xi

tke sacred Scriptures, in order to stay or for ever
banish any arbitrary interpretations, which cause
sometimes the thoughts of men to pass for Scripture,
she ties herself moreover to interpret and understand
whatever belongs to faith and morals according to
the interpretation and sense of the holy Fathers.
She declares in all her councils, as well as in all
her professions and instruments of faith, that she
does not receive any article of belief, which is not
exactly conformable to the tradition and faith of
every preceding century.

“ Men may reason as they please ; but it is true,
that if the Protestant would only consult the dictates
of his own conscience, he would find that after all
the word Church possesses a much greater influence
over him, than in his disputes with us he is willing
to admit. I do not, for my own part, believe, that
in the whole Protestant community, there is a
single individual, who if he be possessed of good
sense, would not tremble at the prospect of seeing
himself stand alone in the profession of any peculiar
opinion ; although even such opinion might to him
appear well founded. So true it is, that on a subject
so vitally important as that of religion, men to be
contentedly confident in their own sentiments require
the sanction moreover of some society, which thinks
and believes as they do. It is upon this account
that the Being who created us and who knows what
best suits our circumstances, has for our greater
benefit and happiness, decreed, that each individual,
among the faithful shall be subject to the authority

xii

PREFACE.

of the Church, an authority which for this reason is
established the most forcibly of all others. In
reality the authority of the Church is established,
not only by the testimony which God himself has
furnished in its favour in the sacred Scriptures : but
by a great variety of sensible attestations also,
which point out in the most striking manner that
with a tender providence, he still watches over the
holy institution. The proofs of this may be dis¬
tinctly traced, not less in its inviolable and perennial
duration, than in its wonderful and miraculous
propagation.”

Let then the candid and sincere attentively com¬
pare the exposition of the rule of Catholic faith, with
that of St. Vincent throughout the whole of the
following golden Commonitory, and they cannot
fail of acknowledging the perfect conformity be¬
tween the faith of Catholics now and in the fifth
century, and must confess that the Catholic faith
is always the same. For whilst error is always
changing, the truth is always unchangble.

THE

COMMONITORY OF ST. VINCENT

OF LERINS.

This treatise of Peregrinus a name assumed by St.
Vincent, supports the antiquity and universality of
the Catholic Church against the profane innovations
of all heretics.

PREFACE.

The author's reason and design for undertaking the work .

Whilst the Scriptures speak and admonish us :
“ ask thy fathers, and they will tell thee ; thy elders,
and they will declare to thee,” Deut. 32. 7. And
also “ incline thy ear, and hear the words of the
wise,” Prov. 22. 17. I Peregrine, the least of all
the servants of God, am inclined to believe, that
with the help of God it may be attended with some
good, if I would commit to writing what I have
faithfully learned from the holy Fathers. It shall
be very beneficial at least to my own infirmity : as
I shall always have at hand whereby the frailty of
my memory may be repaired by daily reading.
And it is not only the utility of the work induces
l me to undertake it, but also the consideration of
time and the commodiousness of the place. Time
excites me to undertake it ; for as time snatches
away all that is dear to man in this world, so also
ought we to snatch something from time, that may

2

14

profit to eternal life. And the more especially
now, when both the dreadful expectation of the
divine judgment just approaching pressingly de¬
mands an increase of zeal for religion, and also the
artifice of modern heretics calls for our utmost care
and attention. The place invites me to undertake
this work; because having retired from the crowd
and bustle of cities, we live in the cloisters of a
monastery in an obscure village, where I am able
without distraction to practise that of the Psalmist ;
“Be still, and see that I am God.” Deut. 45. 11.
Moreover the monastic life I now profess is com¬
patible with my intention. Whereas hitherto I
have been tossed about in various and sorrowful
confusion of a military life ; but now at length, I
have with the blessing of Christ, arrived at the
harbour of Religion, always most safe for all: that
here having divested my soul of the ruffling pas¬
sions of vanity and pride and appeasing God by the
sacrifice of humility, I can avoid not only the ship¬
wreck of the present life, but also the burning of
that to come. But now I shall begin the work, in
the name of the Lord ; that is, to transcribe what
has been handed down by the Fathers and deposited
in our hands, with all the fidelity of a relator, rather
than the presumption of an author. This shall be
the plan of my writing, to touch upon nothing but
what is necessary, and that too, not in a beautiful
and correct style but in the plain common way of
expression ; so that the subjects may be sufficiently
understood, rather than perfectly expressed. Men
who are confident of their own brightness, or are
professors of eloquence, may write in fine figures
and accuracy of style ; I shall content myself with
preparing for my own use this Commonitory to
assist my recollection, or rather my forgetfulness ;
which however byrecollecting what I have learned,
I will endeavour by degrees to make correct and

15

perfect. I have therefore mentioned this, to the
end that should it chance to get from me, and fall
into the hands of the Saints, they should not rashly
censure it, as the author pledges himself to correct
and polish it more completely.

CHAPTER I.

The Holy Scriptures and the tradition of the Catholic
Church , is the only true and sure Rule of Faith.

Therefore, with the greatest attention and desire,
inquiring of many men, excelling in piety and sound
doctrine, how I could acquire true knowledge ; by
which, and as it were by a general and regular rule,
I could distinguish the truth of the Catholic faith
from the falsity of heretical pravity : I received this
answer generally from them all: “That if I, or any
other, would wish to discover the frauds of rising
heretics, and avoid their snares, and to continue
sound and entire in sound faith; he must, with the
Lord’s assistance, strengthen his faith, by a two-fold,
rule, that is, first, by the authority of the divine
law, and secondly by the tradition of the Catholic
Church.'” But here, perhaps, a man may ask : Since
the canon of the Scriptures is perfect, and more than
sufficient in every respect ; what need is there that
the authority of ecclesiastical intelligence be added
thereto 1 Because all do not understand the Scrip¬
ture in one and the same sense, on account of its
sublimity ; but one expounds its divine oracles after
this fashion, and another after that : insomuch, that
i as many opinions seem could be drawn from it, as
there are interpreters. For * Novation interprets the

* Here we have a pretty picture of the arch-heretics
of primitive times and their multifarious errors ; all of

16

Scripture one way, Sabellius another way ; Donatus
expounds it this way, Arius another; Eunomius,
Macedonius , other ways; Photinus, Apollinaris,
Priscillianus another way ; Jovinianus, Pelagius,
Calestius, another way : and in fine, Macedonius in¬
terprets it in a different sense. And, therefore, in
such a perplexity of various errors, it is extremely
necessary, that the line of prophetical and apostoli¬
cal interpretation be drawn according to the scale of
the ecclesiastical and Catholic sense. Likewise,
we who are in the bosom of the Catholic Church,
must be very cautious, that we hold,* * what has been

of them reading and interpreting the Bible in their own
way: whilst the sound Catholic remained in the unerr¬
ing faith of the Catholic Church. In modem times, the
scene and comedy is acted anew by the pretended Re¬
formers : change only the names used by St. Vincent,
and you find the heretics of modern times copy after,
those of old. See Luther interpreting the Bible one way,
and Calvin after another : Muncer this and Zwingle that
way : Socinus another way : Henry VIII., his boy Ed¬
ward and bastard Elizabeth their ways : Arminius and
Gomerus their own ways: Wesley, Whitfield, Whitehead,
each his notion : George Fox, James Naylor, and Hicks,
other ways : Joanna Southcot and Jemima Wilkins their
ways: Count Swedenborg and his new. lights other ways.
Amongmodern as well as ancient heretics, there are as
many interpretations as there are expounders of the Bi¬
ble ; and in such a perplexity of various errors, where
shall the Catholic find a certainty for his distinguishing
truth from heresy ? In St. Vincent’s rule, that is, in the
Bible explained by the Catholic Church.

* No Church but the Catholic subsists in all ages,
teaches all nations, and maintains all truth. Then
those alone are the tme proprietors of that name, who
not only always call themselves Catholics, but are com¬
monly known in the whole world by that name, and up¬
on all occasions, even by their adversaries. Those have
no right to the name of Catholic, who assume it to serve
& turn, and are not so called any where, at any time,

17

believed in all places, in all times , and hj all the
, faithful . Besides, that alone is truly and properly
Catholic, which comprehends all these, as it appears
From the very sense and meaning of the word. In short,'
by this we are Catholic, if we follow universality, anti¬
quity, and unanimous consent . Now we follow univer¬
sality, when we confess that to be the one true faith,
which the whole Church, throughout the whole
world, professes. In like manner, we follow an¬
tiquity, when we do not deviate from that sense of
Scripture, to which the holy Fathers and our prede¬
cessors adhered. And, finally, we follow consent,
if we follow the definitions and opinions of all, or al¬
most all, as well Bishops as Doctors, in the ancient.

CHAPTER II.

In case of Schism, what guide we are to follow.

What, therefore, shall the orthodox Catholic do,
if any small part of the Church separate itself from
the communion of the Catholic faith? Why, truly,
he must prefer the sound body of the Catholic Church
before a rotten and infectious member. But if some
new contagion would endeavour to sully, not a small

either by others, or simply by themselves. Now, as the
name of Catholic was looked upon by all antiquity as a
mark of the true Church, so the adopting of a new name,
derived from any innovation of religion, or from the
authors of such new doctrines, has always been esteem¬
ed as a mark of a false religion. Do not the followers
of the pretended Reformers call themselves Protestants,
Lutherans, Calvinists, Methodists, Episcopal Protest¬
ants, Quakers, Shakers, Baptists, &c. &c. ? then, by
the old rule, they are not Catholics, against whom they
protest, and consequently, their various names bespeak
their various and perplexing errors and heresies. .

2*

18

portion only, but likewise the whole Church, what is
to be done 1 Even then we must closely adhere to
antiquity, which cannot altogether be seduced by
any fraud of novelty. But, if among the ancients,
we find one or two or three men, nay, a city or an
entire province, in error ? then we must be careful
to prefer the Decrees of some General Council, (if
any such be,) to the rashness or ignorance of the
few. But if a case of this kind occur, where a de¬
cree of a general council cannot be-had 1 Why, then,
we must make it our business to consult and learn
what were the judgments of our predecessors, and
compare them together: those authors alone are to
be consulted, who, although they lived in divers times
and places, yet persevering in the faith and commu¬
nion of the one Catholic Church, and are approved
teachers and worthy of credit :*Shd whatever we
find, that, not one* or two only, but all the Fathers,

* Notone. Were the framers of the 39 Articles of the
Church of England to follow this Rule of St. Vincent,
they would not follow the opinion of St. Jerome
alone, (whom they misunderstood,) with respect to what
books are canonical. Jerome is but one, and cannot pru¬
dently be followed, when the unanimous consent of his
cotemporary Bishops hold, decree and teach the con¬
trary. A. D. 347, at the Council of Carthage, 147
Bishops, (in 47 chap. Acts,) taught thus: “It is de¬
creed, that nothing be read in the Church, under the
name of holy Scripture, except the Canonical Scriptures.
But the Canonical Scriptures are, Genesis, Exodus, Le¬
viticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Jesus Nave (Joshua,)
Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two books of Para-
lipomenon, Job, Psalter of David, five books of Solomon,
twelve books of minor Prophets : also Isaias, Jeremias,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Tobias, Judith, Esther, two books of
Esdras, two books of Maccabees. And the four books
of the Gospels of the New Testament, one book of the
Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles of Paul the Apos¬
tle, one of the same to the Hebrews, two of Peter the

19

unanimously, clearly, commonly and constantly, had
held, written and taught, that we must understand,
we are to believe without doubt.

CHAPTER III.

Examples lo illustrate the principle of the foregoing
chapter.

But to make more intelligible what I have already
laid down, I shall explain each rule by examples,
and illustrate them more particularly, lest, through
an over-fond desire of too much brevity, the great
importance of the subject be slightly passed over
in this cursory way of writing. In the time of Do-
natus, who?e followers called themselves Donatists ;
when a great paTt of Africa plunged themselves into
the fanaticism of his error, and when, no longer
mindful of the name of Catholic, of Religion, or of
profession, they preferred the sacrilegious temerity
of one man to the Church of Christ; then those in
Africa having detested that profane schism, united
themselves in communion with all the churches in
the world ; *lhose alone of all the Africas could he

Apostle, three of John the Apostle, one of the Apostle
Jude, one of James, and one book of the Apocalypse of
John. We have received them from the Fathers, that
they may be read in the Church.” Such, at this day, is
the canon of the Bible in the Catholic Church. What,
then, is Jerome, (even if he thought so,) in comparison
to the decree of a Council ? A drowning man will catch
at a straw ; so the adversaries of the Catholic Church
will catch at the doubt of one ; whilst they reject the
unanimous consent of a whole Council against his vague
assertion.

* What a subject for reflection is not this for the fol¬
lowers of Luther, Calvin, Queen Elizabeth, Cranmer, Fox,
Wesley, &c.

20

■saved, who remained within the ' sanctuary of the
Catholic faith : leaving, therefore, a striking exam¬
ple to posterity, that, according to this laudable
practice, the sound doctrine of the Catholics should
be preferred to the fanaticism of one, or even a few.

. -- Also, when the poison of the Arians* had conta¬
minated not a small portion, but almost the whole
world, so that a kind of delusive mist was spread
over the minds of almost all the Latin Bishops, who
were deceived partly by force and partly by fraud ;
insomuch that, in such confusion of things, it was
extremely difficult to know what chiefly to follow ;
then every true lover and worshipper of Christ was
free from the least stain of that contagion, by pre¬
ferring the ancient faith to the new perfidious doc¬
trine.

From the misfortunes of this time, it is more than
manifest what a torrent of calamities is brought in
upon mankind, by the introduction of new and false
doctrines. By its means, matters not trifling only,
but even the most important, are shaken to their
centre, and fall to nothing. Not only affinities, re¬
lations, friends and families, but also cities, people,
provinces, nations, in fine, the whole Roman empire,

* Arius was an ambitious priest of Alexandria in
Egypt. Being disappointed in his views by the election
of St. Alexander, he became his good and holy Bishop’s
mortal enemy. Nor did he stop here; for he plotted
against the Catholic faith, when he could not be a Bishop
of the Catholic Church, set up a new heresy, denied the
divinity of Christ, and died a miserable death ; and left
a pestiferous brood to infest the faithful for more than a
century, and persecute them even to death. His exam¬
ple is enough to deter the people from following any
clerical demagogue, who, disappointed in a mitre, might
rise up against his Bishop, and consequently, like Arius,
undermine faith, and every principle that promotes the
peace of civil society.

21

is thereby distracted and divided against itself. For
when the profane novelty of the Arians, like unto a
Bellona or direful monster, having first of all taken
possession of the Emperor’s heart, and next brought
under its control and new laws all the principal men
in the palace, afterwards it did not cease until it
brought all things into confusion, without distinction
of what was private or public, sacred or profane,
without respect for truth or virtue ; but from the pro¬
tection of the court, as if from the advantage of an
eminence, it forced under its diction whatsoever it
pleased. Then wives were violated, widows unveil¬
ed, virgins profaned, monasteries demolished, the
clergy disturbed, the Levites beaten, priests driven
into exile, workhouses filled with saints, as also
the prisons, the mines crammed with the faithful ;
the greater part of whom were interdicted the cities,
cast out and banished, worn out and consumed with
hunger, thirst and nakedness, among caverns, rocks,
and deserts and wild beasts. But all these calami¬
ties have no other cause, than because, instead of
heavenly doctrine, human superstitions are intro¬
duced; because well-founded antiquity is destroyed
by wicked novelty ; because the institutions of supe¬
riors are violated ; because the decrees of the Fa¬
thers are annulled ; because the things defined, by our
predecessors are trampled upon ; in short, because a
passion for profane novelties and curiosity does not
restrain itself with the most chaste limits of sacred
and uncoirupted antiquity.

I

CHAP. IV.

The persecution from the Brians confirmed by St. Ambrose —
feasts of the martyrs and confessors — to avoid heresy we
must follow councils, fyc. of the Catholic Church.

But perhaps some one will say, that I have been
thus led through aversion for novelty and venera*-
tion for antiquity. Whosoever judges so, if he
believe not my word, at least let him believe the
blessed Ambrose, who in his second book to the
Emperor Gratian deploring the bitterness of his
times, says: “But now, O Almighty God, after so
many misfortunes of ours ; after so much blood of
ours being spilled, we have sufficiently atoned for
the death of the confessors, the exile of the priests
and the wickedness of so great an impiety. Thou
hast made it most clear, that those who have
violated thy faith cannot be long in security.”
Lib. 2. Fid. c. 4. Also in the third book of the
same work, he says : “ Let us therefore keep the
precepts of our predecessors, nor let us rashly
presume to violate the hereditary marks of our
belief. Neither the ancients, nor the powers, nor
angels, nor archangels dared to open that prophetic
book that was sealed. Apoc. 5. The prerogative
of loosing its seals and opening it was reserved for
Christ alone. And who amongst us, can presume
to open the seals of that sacerdotal book, sealed by
the confessors and already consecrated by the mar¬
tyrdom of many 1 Those who were by force con¬
strained to unseal that sacred volume afterwards
sealed it by reprobating the fraud by which they
were deceived. Those who could not be prevailed
upon to violate that book became confessors and

23

martyrs. Hoiu can we deny the faith of those
whose victory we celebrate V’ We celebrate them
indeed, yes venerable Ambrose, we celebrate them
indeed, and with unmixed praise we admire them.
Who can be so unwise as not to desire earnestly to
follow them, though he cannot arrive at their per¬
fection, whom no kind of violence could deter from
defending the faith of their predecessors : upon
whom neither threats, nor caresses, nor life, nor
death, nor palace, nor guards, nor emperor, nor em¬
pire, nor men, nor devils could prevail ; whom I say
from their adherence to the true old religion the
Lord himself judged worthy of so much merit, that
through them He had restored the Churches that
were in ruins, renewed the spirit of religion, almost
extinct among the people, replaced the mitres of
the Bishops which were taken away from them;
wiped away not the letters but those nefarious
stains of new impiety in a fountain of tears, which
the Bishops of the faithful shed through the inspira¬
tion of Heaven; in fine through* whom God recalled
almost the whole world attacked by a sudden storm
of a new and unexpected heresy, from novel impiety
to its ancient faith, from strange fanaticism to its
ancient sound doctrine, and from the blindness of

* That is through the intercession of the holy martyrs
and confessors, God was pleased to restore peace to the
distracted world. The saints reigning with Christ
continually offer up their prayers for us on earth; “for
as charity never faileth,” so that love of God and their
neighbour, which prompted the saints whilst in the
tabernacle of the flesh, to pray for their fellow mortals
on earth, remains with them for ever in heaven ; and
consequently the effect of their intercession is power
before God in favour of us living on earth. This was
the belief of St. Vincent, as well as of all Catholics in
all ages and nations. Is it not a sure sign of heresy to
protest against such a point of the belief of all times ?

24

novelty to its former splendour? But in this divine
virtue of the confessors, this must be made a subject
of our most serious consideration, that in the primi¬
tive days of the Church, the defence of the uni¬
versal Church and not of a particular part was
supported by the Fathers. Nor was it becoming
such and so venerable men to write whole volumes
in confuting the erroneous and self-contradictory
opinions of one or two men, or even to contend in
behalf of a rash combination of a petty province ;
but closely following the decrees and definitions of
all the Bishops of the Holy Church, the heirs of
Apostolical and Catholic Faith, they preferred to
expose themselves to death than betray the faith of
the ancient Catholic Church. Wherefore they had
merited to have arrived at such glory, that they are
justly and meritoriously esteemed not only con¬
fessors but even the princess of confessors.

CHAP. V.

The Apostolical See of Rome always the source of sound
faith and doctrine.

The great example therefore of those saints,
an example truly divine, and by constant meditation
ought to be reflected upon by every true Catholic;
those saints shining with the seven-fold light of the
Holy Ghost, as the Candlestick with its seven
branches, have transmitted to posterity the most
brilliant formula, whereby the boldness of profane
novelty, together with all the empty boast of heresy,
can be crushed by the authority of venerable an¬
tiquity. Nor is this indeed any thing new. For
truly this custom always prevailed in the Church
that the more religious a man was the more prompt
he opposed novel inventions. Every thing is full
°f .examples of this kind. But to avoid prolixity I

will select one example and that too from the
Apostolic See ; that all may most clearly see with
what power, zeal and argument the blessed succes¬
sion of the blessed Apostles maintained the integrity
of the religion once received. For therefore Agrip-
pinus of venerable memory, Bishop of Carthage, was
the first of all men who was an advocate for re-
baptization against the canon of Scripture, against
the practice of the Catholic Church, against the
sentiments of all Bishops, against the custom and
decrees of our predecessors in the faith. This
presumption of his carried along with it so much
evil, that it not only gave the heretics a precedent
of sacrilegiously rebaptizing the Catholics, but it
proved an occasion of error to some Catholics.
When therefore all cried out against the novelty,
and all the Bishops every where opposed it in pro¬
portion to every ones zeal ; then Pope Stephen of
blessed memory, Bishop of the Apostolic See, stood
up with his other colleagues against it, but he in a
signal manner above the rest, thinking it fitting I
believe that he should excel them as much by the
ardour of his faith,* as he was raised above them by

* The authority of the See of Rome, or of the suc¬
cessors of St. Peter, is founded not on what the primitive
fathers conceded as some protestants allege, but on the
words of Jesus Christ to Peter, the rock or foundation
on which Christ built his Church, when He said to
him : feed my lambs ; feed my lambs ; feed my sheep.
John Chap. 21. Peter was then the pastor of both the
lambs and sheep of Christ, that is the chief pastor of all
the true believers, Apostles, Bishops, Priests and Laity
who compose the one fold of the one Shepherd. John
10th Chap. This charge comes down to his successors :
for as long as the lambs and sheep need feeding and
care, so long Christ provides for them a Pastor in the
successors of Peter over not a portion only but the
whole, spread all the wide world over.

3

26

..■the authority of his See, in his letter to the
Church of Africa, he thus decrees “ let no innovation
he introduced, but let that be observed which is
t handed down to us by tradition The prudent
\and holy man understood that the rule of piety
admits nothing new, but that all things are to be de¬
livered down to posterity with the same fidelity with
which they were received; and that it is our duty
to follow religion, and not to make religion follow
us: for the proper characteristic of a modest and
sober Christian is not to impose his own conceits
upon posterity, but to make his own imagination
bend to the wisdom of those that went before him.
What then was the issue of this grand affair but
that which is usual 1 — Antiquity kept possession
and novelty ivas exploded. But some may object
that this newly invented doctrine was supported by
many patrons. Nay, to support this point, never was
such strength of genius nor greater flow of elo¬
quence displayed, or greater number of patrons, or
more likeness of truth, or such authorities of holy
writ, but understood in quite a new fashion; so that
it appeared to me impossible that such a powerful
combination could be overturned by any means.
Notwithstanding the great support of this cause,
advanced and befriended as it had been ; the very
appearance of its novelty brought it to ruin. In
fine what was the influence of that African council 1
Through the divine assistance it was nothing, for
all its proceedings became abolished, antiquated and
despised, like to a dream or a fable, as if super¬
fluous.* And, O strange turn of things! the authors
of the same opinions are declared Ca holies, and

* An opinion false in itself, may innocently be held
from private conviction; but when that opinion is de¬
creed false or heretical by the Church, then it becomes
a formal heresy to hold it.

27

the followers of it are declared heretics ; the masters
are absolved and the disciples are condemned; the
writers of the books will be the children of the
heavenly kingdom, whilst their defenders will be
fuel for hell fire. For who is so unwise as to.
doubt that the most blessed Cyprian, that brilliant
light of all the saints, both Bishops, and martyrs,
will reign for ever with Christ, together with his
other colleagues 1 And on the other hand who is
so sacrilegious as to deny that the Donatists and
other pests of the Church, who boast the authority
of that council in defence of rebaptization will burn
for ever with the devil in merciless flames.

CHAP. VI.

Frauds of Heretics.

Indeed I think this to be the just judgment of
God against them on account of the fraud, especially
of those, who after setting their brains at work to
forge a heresy, and unaer the specious name of
another, take up generally the most abstruse and
difficult passages of some ancient writer, and which
by reason of their obscurity they would feign to be
conformable to their own conceits ; so that what¬
ever be the dogma they produce, they themselves
may not seem to be the first nor only inventors
thereof. Which impiety of theirs I judge worthy
of a two-fold hatred; first, because they are not
afraid to infuse the poison of heresy into the hearts
of others ; and secondly by their sacrilegious hands,
they violate the memory of any holy man, and dis¬
turb as it were the ashes of the dead; and with
profane tongues they slanderously circulate what
should be buried in eternal oblivion, following the
footsteps of their author Cham, who not only ne¬
glected to cover the nakedness of venerable Noe,

‘28

but told it to others, that he may be mocked at.
Wherefore, having so heinously sinned against piety,
he merited a prophetic curse that was entailed on
him and even on his posterity. He was far dif¬
ferent in disposition from his brothers, who would
neither defile their own eyes with their revered
father’s nakedness, nor expose his shame to others,
but as it is written “ they going backwards covered
him which is a proof they neither had approved
nor exposed the fault of the holy man, and therefore
they and their posterity received a blessing. But
to return to my subject. Therefore of all things to
be dreaded, we should most cautiously beware not
to incur the punishment of those who make altera¬
tions in faith and innovations in religion, from which
punishment not only the discipline of Ecclesiastical
Constitutions, but also the censure of the Apostolic
Authority ought to deter us. All know how strong¬
ly, severely and vehemently St. Paul inveighs
against those, “ who with astonishing levity removed
themselves from him, who called them to the grace
of Christ, to another gospel, which is not another
Gal. 1. “Who heaped to themselves teachers
according to their own desires, turning away their
hearing from the truth, being turned to fables,
having damnation because they have made void
their first faith:” 2 Tim. 4; “ because they were
deceived by those whom the same Apostle to his
Roman brethren describes “ Now I beseech you
brethren, to mark them that cause dissentions and
offences contrary to the doctrine which you have
learned, and avoid them. For they that are such
serve not Christ our Lord but their own belly ; and by
pleasing speeches and good words seduce the hearts
of the innocent. Rom. ' 16. 17. Who creep into
houses, and lead captive silly women loaden with
sins, who are led away with divers desires ; always
learning and never attaining to the knowledge of

truth.” 2 Tim. 3.6. “ Vain talkers and seducers
■who subvert whole houses, teaching things which
they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.” Tit. 1. 11.
“Men corrupted in mind, reprobate as to the faith.”
2 Tim. 3. Proud, knowing nothing, but sick about
questions and strifes of words; who are destitute of
the truth, esteeming gain to be piety. And withal
being idle they learn to go about from house to
house, and not only idle but tattlers also and inquisi¬
tive, speaking things which they ought not. 1 Tim.
5. “Rejecting a good conscience they have made
a shipwreck concerning the faith.” 1 Tim. 1.
“ Whose profane speeches spread like a cancer and
grow much towards impiety.” 2 Tim. 2. 16. It
is well for us that the Apostle had thus written:
but they shall proceed no farther, for their folly
shall be made manifest to all as theirs (Jannes and
Mambres) also was. 2 Tim.

CHAP. VII.

The deposit of faith unalterable.

When therefore some such mercenaries going
through cities and provinces hawking* about their
errors for filthy lucre, came to the Galatians; and
when the Galatians having heard them they became
affected with a distaste for truth, and were delighted
with the filthy abominations of heretical novelty,
removing far from them the manna of Apostolical
and Catholic doctrine ; then the Apostolic power
exercised its authority, and with the utmost severity
decreed; “but though we or an angel from heaven
preach a Gospel to you beside that which we have

* Like the Bible and Tract retailers of the present
time.

3*

30

preached to you, let him be anathema.” Gal. 1.
v. 8. What is that he says, “but though we?”
Why not rather, “but though I?” This is the
meaning. Although Peter, although Andrew,
although John, in fine, although the whole college
of Apostles should preach to you beside what I
preached, let him or them be anathema. A dreadful
restriction by which he spares neither himself nor
the rest of the Apostles, in order to keep inviolate
the primitive faith. Still it is not enough. He
says: “ althoughan angel from heaven should preach
to you beside what you have received, let him be
anathema.” It was not enough to restrict man in
order to keep inviolate the faith once handed down
by tradition, without including the angelic order; for
he says : “ although an angel from heaven.” He
did not thereby mean that the blessed and heavenly
angels can now fall into sin; but this is what he
says ; if it were a thing that can be, whosoever
shall attempt to change the faith handed down by
tradition let him be anathema. But perhaps it may
be said ; the Apostle had spoken thus lightly and
decreed from human zeal and not divine inspiration.
God forbid. For the Apostle continues the subject
big with importance, and again inculcates it with all
the force of reiterated asseveration ; “ If any one
preach to you a Gospel besides that which you have
believed, let him be anathema.” He did not say,
if any one teach you besides what you received ;
but he said: “let him be anathema,” that is, let
him be separated, cut off, excommunicated for fear
the baneful contagion of one sheep would infect the
sound flock of Christ by the infusion of its poi¬
sonous heresy.

Si

CHAP. VIII.

The character and ways of Heretics,

But perhaps some may object, and say that these
were injunctions peculiar to the Galatians. Now
for the same reason what the Apostle mentions at
the end of the same Epistles is binding on the
Galatians alone, when he says ; “ if we live in the
spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not
become desirous of vain glory, provoking one
another, envying one another.” Gal. 5. 26. But
if it be absurd to understand the last text with
respect to the Galatians, and if it be equally binding
on all mankind, it follows evidently that those rules
of morality, as well as those points of faith, do
equally comprehend all men; and as it is lawful for
no one to provoke or envy his neighbour, so like¬
wise; so also is it lawful for no one to believe
except what the Catholic Church always had
taught. It may be also said that the anathema
was levelled against innovation in that age, and that
it does not bind after ages I So likewise this moral
precept; “I say, walk ye in the spirit, and you
shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh,” regards that
age and not after ages. Now if it be equally im¬
pious and destructive to morality to believe so ; it
follows of necessity, that as moral precepts are to
be observed in all ages, so likewise those points of
faith which are unchangeable, are believed and
received in all ages. To announce therefore to
Catholic Christians any thing except what they
! before had believed, never was, never is, nor ever
will be lawful; and to anathematize those who
announce what was not before received, always was,
every where was, and ever will be a duty. Where-

32

fore, who can be so bold as to preach up what was
not taught by the Church ; or who is of that levity,
that can believe any thing except what the Church
believed 1 That vessel of election, that master of
the Gentiles, that trumpet of the Apostles, that
herald of the world, he who knew the secrets of
heaven itself, cries out repeatedly, “ let him be
anathema, who preaches up a new doctrine.” And
on the other hand, some frogs and cyniphs, and
other insects but of a day, such as the Pelagians,
cry out too against the Catholics in this manner ;
“ upon our authority, after our example, after our way
of interpreting the Scripture, condemn what you
hold, and hold what you condemned, reject the
ancient faith, the decrees of the fathers, and the
sacred traditions deposited in the hands of your
predecessors; and receive our new faith." I tremble
at the bare recitation ; their dogmas are so proud,
that I think it sinful to express them, nay even to
refute them.

CHAP. IX. -

False teachers are permitted 'by Providence to exercise the
faith and virtue of the faithful.

But a man may say ; why does the Almighty
suffer some excellent ecclesiastics to announce to
Catholics novelties? The question is indeed just
and well worthy of the most accurate and full ex¬
amination ; yet it must be satisfactorily answered
not by my private judgment, but by the authority of
the Scripture , and the example of ecclesiastical
Doctors. Let us therefore hear holy Moses, and
he will teach us why learned men and those whom
the Apostle styles even prophets; for their know¬
ledge is permitted semetimes to produce new dog¬
mas, which the Old Testament allegorically calls

33

strange gods ; because heretics as much adhere to
their false opinions, as the Gentiles did to their
false gods. Therefore the blessed Moses writes in
the book of Deuteronomy: “if there rise in the
midst of thee a prophet, or one that saith he hath
dreamed a dream that is, a Doctor of the Church,
whose scholars or hearers think that he so teaches
from a private revelation. What then? Moses
proceeds ; “ and he foretells a sign and a wonder,
and that come to pass, which he spoke.” Deut.
13. 1. Here indeed is portrayed some great teacher
and of such knowledge, that he seems to his own
abettors not only possessed of all human learning,
but even gifted with supernatural knowledge ; such
exactly did their followers boast of a Donatus,
Valentine, Photinus, Apollinaris, and others of the
same stamp, to have been. Well, what then!
And if this Prophet shall say to thee , let us go and
follow strange gods, which thou knowest not, and
let us serve them. What are these strange gods
unless strange errors, which you knew not, that is,
new and unknown to you before? And let us serve
them, that is let us believe and follow them. What
is the conclusion : “ Thou shalt not hear the words
of that prophet and dreamer.” And why does God
permit that to be taught which he forbids to be
followed ? Moses gives the reason, because “ the
Lord your God tneth you, that it may appear
whether you love him with all your heart, and with
all your soul or no.” The reason is as clear as the
meridian sun why the divine providence suffers
some ecclesiastics to preach new dogmas ; that,
says he, “ the Lord your God may try you.” And
indeed it is a great trial for you to see, that he who
you consider a prophet, a disciple of a prophet, a
seeming defender of truth, and a doctor whom you
revered and loved, I say that such an one would on
a sudden fall so low as to endeavour to mix and slip

in the poison of his errors, which you may not soon
discover, because as yet you are prejudiced in his
favour, as he was of old a faithful master: and also
you are not easily prevailed upon to condemn his
doctrine, whilst you may be still an admirer of the
doctor.

CHAP. X.

How dangerous the fall of a great man.

But here some may desire to see the words
of Moses illustrated with ecclesiastical examples.
The request is just and will be soon complied with.
To expatiate on the great trial before mentioned, I
shall instance only modern and manifest examples ;
when the unhappy Nestorius, suddenly changed
from being a sheep to become a wolf, began to
lacerate the flock of Christ, then those very people,
for the most part who were worried by him, believed
him as yet a sheep, and for that reason the more
exposed to his poisoned shafts. For who would be
easily led to consider that man to have fallen into
error, whom he had lately seen elected Bishop with
the approbation of the empire, and so greatly favour¬
ed by the Priests! A man, whom holy men re¬
vered, and whom the populace applauded, who daily
expounded the sacred word of God, and confuted
every baneful error both of Jews and Gentiles! In
fine who could doubt that he taught, preached, and
inwardly believed in sound doctrine ! Who in¬
veighed against the blasphemy of every heresy, that
he might pave the way to his own single heresy.
But this is exactly what Moses said: uthe Lord
your God trieth you, that it may appear whether
you love him or no.” And that w-e may pass over
Nestorius, who was rather an object of admiration

33

than a subject of utility, a man of empty fame, but
of little useful learning, who was gre it in the eyes
of the vulgar not for his piety, but his human and
natural volubility; let us rather speak of those who
possessed of greater proficiency and industry became
subjects of no small trial to Catholic men.

Even in the memory of our forefathers an instance
of this kind took place in the upper and lower Pan-
notnia; where Photinus attacked the Church of
Sirmium. First he was raised to the priesthood
with the good will of all, and for some time officiated
as a sound Catholic, but suddenly like the false
prophet or dreamer whom Moses points out, he
began to persuade the people of God intrusted to
him to follow strange gods, that is new errors,
which they did not know before. This is the
common rule of all heretics. What was most per¬
nicious in him was, that he made use of all his learn¬
ing to support his impiety. For he was a man of
powerful abilities, excelling in his acquired learning,
and a man of great eloquence ; for he could argue,
and write in two languages and that too fluently
and solidly; which is manifest from the volumes he
had written, partly in Greek and partly in Latin.
But thank God, the flock of Christ committed to his
charge being very vigilant and cautious for the
Catholic faith, soon looked to the admonitions of
Moses, and though they admired the eloquence of
their prophet and pastor, yet saw the temptation.
For hitherto they followed him as the ram of the
flock and now they begin to shun him as a wolf.
We learn the danger of this ecclesiastical trial, not
only from the example of Photinus but also of
Apollinaris, and at the same time we are reminded
how careful we ought to be in keeping the true faith.
For this man caused great irritation and perplexities
in the minds of his hearets, because the authority of
the Church drew them one way, whilst affection for

36

their old teacher carried them another way; they
therefore doubting and wavering did not easily con¬
clude what was best to be done. But it may be
said that Apollinaris was such as ought to be de¬
spised easily. Nay he was such that every one
would give credit to almost what he said. For who
can be his superior in wit, acuteness and learning ?
How many heresies did he not suppress in his
voluminous writings, how many errors contrary to
faith did he not confute ; an instance of this his labour
is that excellent and extensive work of his, contain¬
ing not less than twenty books, in w'hich by a multi¬
plicity of proofs, he fully refutes the impious calum¬
nies of Porphyry. It would be tedious to enumerate
all his works, whereby he might be equal to the
greatest men who edified the Church, had not the
desire of profane curiosity withdrawn him aside to
follow his own inventions, and I know not what
heretical novelties, which like a leprosy overspread
and polluted all his writings; so that his doctrine
was rather an ecclesiastical trial, than the edification
of his readers.

CHAP. XI.

The impieties of old Heretics.

Here perhaps it may be required of me to detail
the heresies of the aforesaid, that is of Nestorius,
Photinus, and Apollinaris. But that is not my
present object. For I only resolved not to be par¬
ticular as to every error, but merely to instance a
few examples whereby I might clearly and evident¬
ly demonstrate what Moses says; that if at any
time some ecclesiastical doctor, though even a pro¬
phet, from his interpreting the mysteries of the
prophets, should attempt to introduce some new
doctrine into the Church of God, divine Providence

37

(S4ys Moses) suffers it to be done, that our faith be
tried by the fire of such temptation. Therefore
it will be useful by way of digression to expose
briefly what those heretics, Photinus, Apollinaris,
and Nestorius, invented. Therefore this is the heresy
of Photinus : He says there is but one only God,
without distinction of persons, as the Jews hold.
He denies the plenitude of the Trinity ; he does
not believe in the' person of the Word of God or in
that . of the Holy Ghost. He asserts that Christ is
only mere man, -whose origin he ascribes to Mary,
and what he supports by every means is, that we
ought to worship the person of God tlie Father
alone, and believe Christ to be only a man. Such
was the heresy of Photinus. But Apollinaris in¬
deed boasts as if he truly believed in the Unity of
the Trinity, and in this point Iris faith was not real or¬
thodox ; by an open profession he blasphemes against
the incarnation of our Lord. For he says, that in
the flesh of our Saviour either there was not a
human soul at all, or such a soul had not understand¬
ing and' reason. Besides he said, that the flesh of
the Lord was not taken from the flesh of the blessed
Virgin Mary, but came down from heaven into the
Virgin ; and he,- waveringly and doubtful, taught
at one time that his flesh was co-eternal with God
the Word, and at another time, that it was only
made of the divinity of the Word. For he denied
that that the're are two substances in Christ, the one
divine, the other human, the one from the Father the
other from his Mother. But he supposed the very
nature of the Word to be divisible, as if some of it
rehaained in God and the rest turned into flesh ; so
that whilst Catholic truth holds one Christ of two
substances, he on the contrary asserts that of the
one divine nature of Christ are made two sub¬
stances. Such therefore was the heresy of Apol¬
linaris. But Nestorius labours under a distemper

4

38

different from that of Apollinaris ; whilst he pre¬
tends to distinguish two substances in Christ, he
immediately introduces two persons, and by an un¬
heard of impiety he holds that there are two sons
of God, two Christs, the one God, the other man,
the one begotten of the Father, the other of the
Mother. Consequently he asserts that the blessed
Mary is not to be said to be the Mother of God, but
the Mother of Christ, because that Christ who is
God was not born of her but that Christ who is
man.

In case one thinks, that he speaks of one Christ
in his writings and preaches one person of Christ,
yet he is not to be believed rashly. For either he
is possessed of the art of deceiving, that by smooth
words he can the more easily infuse his poison, as
the Apostle says; “by that which is good: sin
wrought death in me,” Rom. 7. 13, or there¬
fore, as I have said, for the sake of imposition he
has inserted in some passages of his writings, that
he believes in one Christ and one person of Christ ;
or at least after the delivery of the Virgin, he shows
that he thought the two persons to have come unto
one Christ, yet in such a manner, that at the con¬
ception, or after the birth, he contended there were
two Christs; so that Christ was born a mere man,
not yet associated in unity of person to the Word of
God ; but afterwards the person of the Word assu¬
ming descended upon him; and although now in
the glory of God he remain assumed, yet for some
time there seems to have been no distinction be¬
tween him and other men.

39

CHAP. XII.

Proofs of the Catholic faith.

In the manner I have just described, the mad
dogs Nestorius, Apollinaris and Photinus do bark
against the Catholic Faith ; Photinus by not con¬
fessing the Trinity ; Apollinaris by saying the na¬
ture of the divine Word is convertible, by~.not con¬
fessing two substances in Christ ; and either by
denying altogether the soul of Christ, or at least by
denying it possessed a mind and reason ; or by
substituting the Word of God for the mind or soul ;
Nestorius by asserting there were two Christs,
either always or at least for some time. But the
Catholic Church being orthodox both as to God and
our Saviour, does not blaspheme, neither in the
mystery of the Trinity, nor in the incarnation of
Christ. For she venerates both one Divinity in
the plenitude of the Trinity and an equality of the
three divine persons in‘ one and the same majesty;
she confesses also one Christ Jesus, not two, and
the same both God and man. Indeed she believes
one person, but two substances; she believes two
substances, but one person in Christ ; two substances,
because the Word pf God is immutable and could
not itself become flesh ; one person , lest by profess¬
ing two sons, one would seem to worship a quaterni-
ty instead of the Trinity. But it is worth my labour
to unravel ihis point again, and that too more dis¬
tinctly and more expressly. In God there is one
divine substance, but three persons : in Christ there
are two substances, but one person. In the Trinity
there is a plurality of persons, and one only sub¬
stance ; in our Saviour there is a plurality of sub-

40

stance, and one only person. Why is there in the
Trinity a plurality of persons and not of substances?
Because, to wit, one is the person ot the Father,
one is that of the Son, one that of, the Holy Ghost;
nevertheless, the nature of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost is not different, but one and the same. How
is there a plurality of substance and not of person m
our Saviour? Because the substance of the divinity
is different from the substance of the humanity ; yet
the divine and human natures make, but one and the
same Christ, one and the same Son of God, and one
and the same person of the one same Christ and
Son of God ; as in man the flesh is different in sub¬
stance from the soul,- yet the flesh and soul both
together form but one and the same man.

In Peter and Paul the soul is one substance and
the flesh, another; yet the flesh and soul of Peter
are not two Peters, but one and the same Peter;
neither is the seul one Paul, and the flesh another,
but one and the same Paul subsisting in a two fold
and different nature of mind and body. Therefore
in like manner, in one and the same Christ there
are two substances ; but one divine the other human ;
the one from Gocl the Father the other from his
Virgin Mother, the one co-eternal and equal to the
Father, the other in time and less than the Father ;
the one consubstantial with the Father, the other
consubstantial with his mother, yet He is one and
the same Christ in both substances. Therefore
there is not one Christ God, and another man ;
there is not one Christ increated, and another crea¬
ted; nor one impassible and the other passible,
nor one equal to the Father, and the other less ; nor
one from the Father and the other from the Mother.
But one and the same Christ is both God and man,
the same Christ not created and created, the same
immutable and impassible, the same mutable and
passible, the same equal and less .than the Father,

41

the same unbegotten of the Father before all eternity,
the same in time begotten of his Mother, perfect
God, and perfect man. For as God he possessed
the full Divinity, and as man he had full humanity ;
I say full humanity ; which has in it both soul and
flesh, real flesh as ours is, taken from his Mother;
and a soul endowed with understanding, possessed of
memory and reason. There is therefore in Christ
the Word, the soul and the body ; but all this is one
Christ, one Son of God, and one Saviour and Re¬
deemer of the world. But one not by any corrupti¬
ble confusion of the divinity and humanity, but by
an integral and singular unity of person. For that
union did not convert or change one substance into
another, (this is the distinguishing error of the
Arians,) but it rather compacted both substances
into one person, so that singularity of one and the
same person being in Christ, the properties of both
natures temain for ever in him; so that God could
not become a body, nor that which is once a body,
cannot cease to be a body. This is demonstrated
from the example of the human body. For every
man, either in this life or in the next, will consist of
a body and soul ; yet the soul will never be changed
into a body, nor the body into a soul; but as every
man will live for ever, so the difference of both sub¬
stances will necessarily subsist for ever also. So
likewise in Christ, the properties of both natures
will remain for ever, and that too in the unity of
person.*

* From the similarity of doctrine and expression
thereof in this Chapter, and in the creed commonly
called the Athanasian, some commentators are of opinion
that St. Vincent, the author of this golden Commonitory
against all heretics of all ages, was also the author of
that creed. All Catholics should carefully hold fast
that creed, the more especially as at this time the Unita¬
rians, the modern Arians, are gaining ground very fast
in North America.

4*

CHAP. XIII.

The humanity of Christ proved against the Manicheans.

Since I have frequently made -use of the word
person* and said that God became man through
person, I am very much afraid, lest I seem to say :
that God the Word participated of our nature by the
mere imitation of our actions, and that all the human
conversation he held amongst us, was done in ap¬
pearance and not by a real man; as happens on a

* The eternal unbegotten Son of the Father as¬
sumed true and real human flesh from the blessed Vir¬
gin Mary. Isaias 7. 14. “ Behold a Virgin shall con¬

ceive and bear a Son : and his name shall be called
Emmanuel.” And Luke 1. 31. “Behold thou shalt
conceive in thy womb and thou shalt bring forth a Son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus.” Matt. 2. v. 1 — 2.
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judain the
days of Herod.” And St. Paul says : “ Christ was
made of a woman.” Gal. 4. 4. All this designates a
real man. For could the birth, time, family and manner
of the birth of a fantastical man be so accurately de¬
scribed? Would Christ be called the Son of Mary, if
his flesh fallen from heaven passed through Mary, as
through a canal ? Besides he is circumcised, shed tears,
is scourged, is subject to his parents and dies on the
cross, and after the resurrection he says, Luke 24. 29,
“ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: feel
and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see
me to have.” “ And when he said this he showed them
his hands and his feet.” Is not all this reality as to the
body of Christ.

43

theatre, when one man represents many persons and
that too on a sudden, whilst he himself is neither of
them. For whenever a representation of this kind
is exhibited, the actors, and men acted or repre¬
sented are different persons. For (instance to use
the comparison of worldlings and Manicheans) when
a tragedian represents the priest or Icing, he is
neither a priest himself nor king. When the act is
over, the person represented ceases to be.

God forbid, that we should become so wicked and
abominable wretches, as to use of such tragical com¬
parisons in our explanation of the Incarnation ! we
leave this madness to the Manicheans, who preach
up a phantom and say, that the Son of God was a
person of man, the human nature, and only appeared
as man in his actions and conversation. But the
Catholic faith teaches us, that the Word was made
man, so that he really and expressly took and
assumed our real human nature, and not fallaciously
and fantastically, and what he did as man, was not
an imitation of another, but his own very action,
and . in short every thing he did was a real action,
and he himself really was the doer thereof. Just
as we ourselves, when we speak, taste, live, subsist,
we do not imitate men hut we are the real agents.
For Peter and John (to instance them in particular)
were not men in imitation, but in reality. For as
Paul did not act an Apostle or personify Paul ; but
was a real Apostle and a real Paul ; so likewise
God the Word by assuming and having flesh, by
speaking, acting, suffering in the flesh, yet without
any alteration of his divine nature, was pleased to
do all this not to imitate or feign himself man, but
to prove himself a true and perfect man ; not that he
might be thought and supposed to be a man, but that
he might really be man and prove himself a man.
Therefore, as the soul united to the flesh but not
converted into flesh, is not a representation of man,

44

but a real man, a man not in appearance but in sub¬
stance ; so also God the ivord without any change
of itself, is made man by uniting itself to man, not
by confusion, not in imitation, but in subsistence.
Therefore that idea of person, which arises from
imitation, should be rejected, because then one thing
is and a different thing is represented, then he, who
acts, is not he whom he represents. God forbid
that we should believe that God the Word had taken
flesh after that fallacious manner ; but rather thus,
that his divine substance remaining immutable and
assuming- unto himself, the nature of perfect man,
he existed flesh, man and the very person of man ;
not figuratively but really, not imitatively, but sub¬
stantially; in fine, he did not cease to be God by
becoming man, but remained still God and man in
both substances.

CHAP. XIV.

The hypostatical union takes place at the conception, by the
which the divine and human natures are inseparable in
time and eternity, in the one person of Christ.

This union of person in Christ was therefore
compacted and made perfect in the womb of the
Virgin, and not after the delivery of the Virgin.
For we must carefully beware, that we confess
Christ not only one, but always one: because it is
the height of blasphemy that you grant him even
now to be one, whilst you contend that once he was
not one, but two ; one, namely after the moment of
his baptism, but two after the time of his nativity.
Which great sacrilege we cannot otherwise avoid
than by confessing that man was hypostatically uni¬
ted to God, in his Mother, in her womb; in fine in

45

her virginal conception and not after the ascension
or resurrection or even baptism ; for which unity
of person the attributes* of God are indifferently and
promiscuously given to man, and those of man are
ascribed to God. John, Chap. 3. 13. Wherefore
it is written, by divine inspiration, that the Son of
man came down from heaven, and that the Lord of
glory was crucified on earth. 1 Cor. 2. 8.

Whence it comes that as the flesh of the Lord
being made, as the flesh of the Lord being created,
so the Word of God is said to be made, the very
wisdom of God impleted, knowledge created ; as in

* As Jesus Christ is both God and man, there is
to be admitted a reciprocal communication of terms
with respect of nature: hence as in him there are two
natures in one person, we properly say : God is man;
man is God ; God suffered and died ; man is immortal :
but we cannot say ; the divinity became humanity, or
humanity the divinity, which is impossible. Hence this
proposition of Luther is false and justly condemned by
the Catholic Church : “ the humanity of Christ is every
where.” For the Scriptures teach that the humanity of
Christ is not. in every place, but in a certain place as to
his body, either in this life or after his resurrection or
ascension, as the following texts clearly demonstrate.
John 11. 15. “Lazarus is dead: and I am glad, for
your sake, that I was not there, that you may believe.”
Matt. 28. v. 5 — 6. “Fear not you: for I know that
you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for
he is risen, as he said.” John 14. 28. I go aivay, and I
come again to you.” The glorified humanity of Christ
is not every where. John 17. 11. “Now I am no more
in the world, I come to thee.” Acts 3. 20. “ lie shall

send him who hath been preached unto you, Jesus
Christ, whom heaven indeed must receive until the time
of the restitution of all things.” “He sitteth at the right
hand of God, from whence he shall come to judge both
living and the dead.” Apostles’ Creed.

46

the prophecy his hands and his feet as said to be
dug. Ps. 21. 17. I say from this unity of person
this also was perfected by reason of the like mystery,
that as the flesh of the Word is most Catholicly be¬
lieved to be bom of the Virgin, and it cannot be
denied without the greatest impiety : wherefore
God forbid that any one should be so wicked as to
endeavour to rob Holy Mary* of the privilege of the
divine grace and her special glory. For she is to
be confessed the blessed Mother of God, through
the special gift of the Lord and our God, but her
Son : we are not to call her the mother of God in
that impious sense, which a certain wicked heresy
insinuates, which asserts that she is to be styled the
Mother of God by there appellation, because she was
the Mother of that man, who afterwards became
God; as we say the mother of a Priest, or the mother
of a Bishop ; not by being delivered of ajPriest or Bi¬
shop at the moment of their birth, but by being the
mother of a man who afterwards became a Priest
or Bishop. It is not, I say, in this sense that holy
Mary is the Mother of God, but for this reason, as
was said before, that in her sacred womb the most

* As the blessed Virgin Mary was the Mother of
God, so she is thereby entitled to our respect and vene¬
ration ; for it is in her chaste womb was made the union
of the human and divine nature of the eternal Son of
God; the angel hails her: “Hail, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women.”
Luke 1. 28. And the blessed Virgin inspired by the
Holy Ghost, phophesies: “Behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed.” St. Luke Chap. 1.
v. 50. Catholics make daily use of these words both to
honour the incarnation of Christ, and fulfil that pro¬
phecy; and in the true sense of the word Catholics
alone say; “blessed art thou amongst women,” which
is an argument they alone have true faith,

47

holy mystery was accomplished, because through
that singular and only unity of person, as the Word
in the flesh is man, so man in God is God,

CHAP. XV.

A summary of the foregoing Chapter.

In order to assist the memory, I will more briefly
and particularly repeat what I have said already of
the foregoing heresies, or of the Catholic faith ; that
by such repetition they may be more clearly under¬
stood, and be the more firmly impressed on the
mind. Anathema, therefore, to Photinus, who does
not believe the plentitude of the Trinity, and who
professes Christ only as mere man. Anathema to
Apollinaris, who asserts the corruption of the di¬
vinity changed in Christ, and takes away the pro¬
perty of the perfect humanity. Anathema to Nes-
torius, who denies that God was born of the Virgin,
dogmatizing two Christs, and having exploded the
faith of the Trinity, introduces a quaternity. But
blessed be the Catholic Church which venerates one
God in the plenitude of the Trinity, and also the
equality of the Trinity in one divinity ; so that neither
the singularity of substance confounds the propriety
of persons, nor the distinction of Trinity separates
the unity of the Godhead. Blessed I say be the
Catholic Church, which believes two real and per¬
fect natures in Christ, but one person; so that
neither the distinction of natures divides the unity
of his person, nor the unity of his person confounds
the difference of natures. Blessed, again I say, be
the Church which confesses Christ to be and to
have been always one, which believes him man uni-

48

ted to God, not after his birth, but from the moment
of his conception in his Mother’s womb. Blessed
be the Church, I say, which understands that God
was made man not by conversion of nature, but by
reason of person, of person not counterfeit and tran¬
sient, but substantial and permanent. Blessed 1 say
be the Church, which teaches that this unity of per¬
son has that effect, that through it, in a wonderful
and ineffable mystery, she attributes divine properties
to man and human to God. tFor by virtue of this
union she affirms man, as he was God, came down
from heaven, and God, as he was man, was created,
suffered and crucified ; and in fine for this union,
she confesses man the Son of God, and God the Son
of the Virgin. Therefore, blessed and venerable,
thrice blessed and sacred, and indeed comparable to
celestial praises, be that confession of faith which
glorifies the one Lord God with a three-fold anthem.
Isaias Chap. 6. It is for this reason the Church
teaches the unity of Christ, lest she should exceed
the mystery of Trinity. I have said these things by
way of digression, but if it please God, I will treat
and expound them more copiously. Now I will
return to my subject.

40

CHAP. XVI.

He expatiates on Chap. Tenth above, and exemplifies the
fall of Origen.

In the foregoing chapters therefore I said that in
the Church of God the error of a priest was a temp¬
tation of the people ; and the greater is the temp¬
tation the more learned he is who errs. This I
proved first from the authority of the Scriptures,
and secondly from the example of some ecclesiastics,
who for some time were esteemed of sound faith,
yet at length had either fallen into the heresies of
others or became archheretics themselves. This is
indeed a subject big with importance; both useful
for instruction and necessary to be kept in memory ;
which we ought to illustrate and inculcate by all
the force of examples and that too repeatedly ; that
almost all Catholics may know that it is their
bounden duty to receive them with the approbation
of the Church, and not to desert their Catholic faith
upon the bare authority of their teachers. But of
the many whom I could adduce and bring forward
as instances of such temptations: I am inclined to
believe that there is not any comparable to that of
Origen ;* who possessed so many excellent, singular

* Origen was the son of Leonidas, a learned Christian
philosopher and the ornament of the city of Alexandria.
He was martyred during the bloody persecution raised
under the Emperor Severus, A. D. 202. Leonidas
taught Origen, the eldest of his seven sons, the principles
of the Christian Religion with much care, thanking God,

50

and wonderful qualifications.; so that in the begin¬
ning any one would easily pledge that faith was to
be put in all his assertions. For if a good life be
an authority ; lie was a man of great. industry, great
charity, patience and suffering. If kindred and
erudition have any influence, who is more noble than
him, who first is born of a family ennobled with the
crown of martyrdom, and afterwards was deprived,
for Christ’s sake, not only of his father, but also of
all his property : he increased so much in piety in
the midst of poverty, that as they say, he was much
afflicted oftentimes for his confession of the Lord.
Nor were these alone all that made him afterwards
a temptation, but yet so great was the power of his
genius, so profound, so shrewd, excellent, beautiful
in expressions, that lie nearly by far surpassed all
the learned; such was the greatness of his learning
and of all his erudition, that there were but very
few things in Theology, and almost every thing in

for having blessed him with a son of such excellent
abilities for learning and zeal for piety. After the bap¬
tism of Origen, he used to go to his bed side, while he
was asleep' and opening his bosom, kiss it respectfully
as being the temple of the Holy Ghost. When Leoni¬
das was on the eve of suffering Martyrdom for the faith ;
Origen, now seventeen years of age, encouraged him to
look upon the torments prepared for him with courage
and joy, saying : “ take heed, sir, that for our sakes you
do not change your mind.” Euseb- Hist. Cap. 12, Lib.
6. St. Jerome Catalog. Chap. 54.

Yet both Ins writings and his name were condemned
in the fifth General Council and second of Constanti¬
nople. A. D. 553. In his book “ on principles” he
most certainly fell into error, because in that work he
denied the eternity of the torments of the damned.
Who should not tremble for himself, whilst he trembles
for Origen. See venerable Alban Butler’^ Lives of the
Martyrs. April 22.

51

Philosophy, but he had a perfect knowledge of.
When he became a perfect master of the Greek
language, he assiduously acquired a knowledge of
the Hebrew. But should I mention his eloquence 1
For his speech was so pleasing, so sweet, so flow¬
ing like milk, that methinks it proceeded from his
lips more like honey than words.

What subjects difficult to be persuaded of did he
not elucidate by the force of his reasoning 1 What
things hard to be done did he not effect, so as to be¬
come more easily to be understood 1 But it may be
objected ; he only weaved his own opinions by the
subtlety of his arguments. Not so : for no one ever
adduced as proof so many texts of Scripture. But
perhaps one may say he wrote but little. No man
wrote more : so that I think that all his works could
not only be read by one man, but even collected
together ; besides that nothing be wanting to com¬
plete his learning, Providence granted him a good
old age. But perhaps he was somewhat unhappy
in his scholars. Who was ever more happy 1
From his school went forth innumerable Doctors,
Priests, Confessors and Martyrs. Who can say ;
what admiration he was held in by all, how great
his fame had been, and how much caressed by the
whole world. What religious man was there that
did not come to hear him, even from the remotest
part of the globe 1 What Christian that did not
venerate him almost as a prophet ; what philosopher,
that did not look upon him as a teacher 1* History
informs us that he was respected not only by persons
of private condition, but also by the Court: for he was
sent for, by the motherf of the Emperor Alexander,

* Eusebius. Hist. Eccl. Lib. 6. 21. I Mammea, a
Syrian by birth.

52

merely on account of his celestial wisdom, with
which he was filled, and in which she earnestly
desired to be instructed. But the Epistles, which
he, with all the authority of a Christian teacher,
addressed to Philip, who was the first Christian of
the Roman Emperors, also give testimony of his
interest at court. If a man will not receive the
testimony of a Christian with respect to his admirable
knowledge, I hope at least, as Philosophers say, he
will not suspect that of a Pagan.

For the impious Porphyry says, “that being ex¬
cited by the fame of Origen, when yet a youth, he
had gone to Alexandria to see the man, and there
saw him now advanced in years: but such and so
great an old man, that he seemed to be a store¬
house of every science.” But time would sooner
fail me than I would be able to mention even in part
all the brilliant qualities of that man : yet all these,
though much redounding to the honour of religion,
contribute to make him a temptation of the first
magnitude. For who could reject a man of such
^genius, of such learning, of such esteem, but would
rather follow the saying; “that he would rather err
■»swith Origen, than follow truth with others 1” Why
need I say more 1 The matter in short came to
this ; that this great person, this great teacher and
prophet, "proved in the end a most dangerous and
more than human temptation, and led aside many
from the integrity of faith. Wherefore, whilst Ori¬
gen, though so great and learned as he was, wan¬
tonly abuses the grace of God, whilst he over fondly
indulges his own genius, whilst he entertains too
high an opinion of himself, whilst he contemns the
ancient simplicity of the Christian religion, whilst
he pretends himself wiser than all the Christians,
whilst he despises the traditions of Vie Church and
the doctrines of the ancients, and interprets some

53

passages of the Scriptures after a new way:* he
deserves that the Church of God would turn against
him these words of Moses ; “ if a prophet rise in the
midst of thee.” And a little after he says : “ thou
shalt not hear the words of that prophet:” and again
he says; “because the Lord your God trieth you,
that it may appear whether you love him or no.”
Indeed this was not only a temptation, but a very
great one, especially to a Church devoted to him,
and fondly leaning towards him, through admiration
of his genius, science, eloquence, conversation and
esteem, no ways suspicious of him, fearing nothing
from him, it was a temptation for her to see him
turn suddenly from the old religion to profane
novelty.

But it maybe said, that the books of Origcnwere
corrupted. I do not oppose it, but I wish it were so.
This has been handed down by some as well Catho¬
lics as heretics. But this is what we must advert
to, that though himself is not, yet the books pub¬
lished in his name are a very great temptation ;
they abounding in many blasphemies are read as his,
and not as the work of any other; they are desired,
because they are his, and not the work of others;
and although the genuine sense of Origin be far
from the invention of errors in faith ; yet his
authority gives those errors ascribed to him credit,
and makes them pass as genuine upon the world.

* Like Luther and Calvin who set up against the
whole world.

5*

CHAP. XVII.

The same subject further illustrated from the fall of Ter-
tullian into the Montanist heresy.

What has been just said is applicable toTertullian.
For what the former was among the Greeks, the
latter was the same among the Latins, as being their
best writer. For who can be more learned than
this man? Who, more exercised in divine and
human literature? Because he acquired a compe¬
tent knowledge of all philosophy, and all sects of
philosophers, authors, supporters of sects and all
their discipline, besides all history, with a variety of
other studies, were familiar to the great capacity of
his mind. But was not hi* genius so strong and
forcible, that almost every thing he resolved to
attack, he either took it by the .penetration of his
judgment, or crushed it by the force of his argu¬
ments? Moreover who can adequately praise his
writings? For they are interwoven with such a
chain of arguments that those whom he cannot
persuade, he impels; every word of his is ’a [sen¬
tence: and every sentence a victory. This is
known to the Marcionites, Apelles, Hermogenes,
Jews, Gentiles, Gnostics, and others ; whose blas¬
phemies he crushed by the weight of his voluminous
works as with so much thunder. Nevertheless this
same Tertullian,] not holding fast to the Catholic
doctrine, that is the universal and old faith, and
more eloquent than happy, and having changed his
creed he became at last a heretic, as the blessed
confessor Hillary somewhere writes of him; 11 by
his latter errors he lessened the authority of these

55

his approved writings." Moreover he himself too
was a great temptation to the Church. But of this
I shall say no more. This only I shall remark, that
by following the novel madness of Montanus, con¬
trary to the precepts of Moses, and receiving, taking
and supporting the dreams of his fanatic females
to be true prophecies, Tertullian deserved that it
should be both said of him and of his writings ; “If
a prophet shall arise among you,” &c. “ Thou shall

not hear the words of that prophet because the Lord
your God trieth you, that it may appear, whether
you love him with your whole heart, or with all
your soul or no.”

CHAP. XVIII.

God permits the fall of |so?ne to exercise the faith and love
of the Catholics towards him.

From so many and so great examples of the fall
of eminent ecclesiastics, we ought evidently see, and
according to the laws of Deuteronomy clearly con¬
clude, that if at any time some ecclesiastical doctor
should swerve from the faith, that Divine Provi¬
dence* permits this to happen as a trial for us, that
it may appear, whether we love God with our whole
heart and with our whole soul, or not.

* This liltle chapter contains much matter for reflec¬
tion ; I would recommend it again and again for the
perusal of the Catholics of America, to guard them
against those ecclesiastics who might disobey their Bi¬
shops, and who would impose on the people to follow
their example and destroy Catholic unity.

56

•CHAP. XIX.

The security and steady faith of the Catholic, and the con¬
dition of Heretics divided among themselves and tossed
about by every wind of doctrine.

Wherefore he is a tiue and genuine Catholic
who loves the truth of God, who loves his Church,
and who loves the body of Christ, who prefers
nothing to the Catholic faith, neither the authority,
nor the love, nor wit, nor eloquence, nor philosophy
of any man ; but despising all these, and remaining
firm, fixed and steady,' he will know how to hold
whatever the Catholic Church anciently and uni¬
versally believed, and decrees that this alone is to be
held and believed ; and whatever new and unheard
of doctrine he shall see introduced by any one con¬
trary to all the saints,- he is to understand, that such
is to be considered a temptation and not an article
of faith; and especially this is more reasonable,
when he is taught from the divine eloquence of St.
Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, who
writes: “for there must be also heresies ; that they
also, who are approved, may be made manifest,
among you.” 1 Cor. 11. 19. As if he said ; on
account of such or such heresy God has not de¬
stroyed their authors miraculously, that those who
are approved may be made manifest, that is, that it
may appear that every one be a firm, steady and
fixed lover of the Catholic faith. And indeed when¬
ever any novelty is broached, it is easy to feel the
weight of the good grain from the lightness of the
chaff: and there is not much labour in fanning from
the threshing floor, what was kept there by no
weight For some fly off instantly ; others are only

57

shaken up, are afraid to perish, and wounded are
ashamed to return, these become half dead, and half
alive ; because they have imbibed such quantity of
poison, that it neither kills them, nor can be digest¬
ed, nor compels them to die, nor suffers them to
live. Alas a miserable condition!* With what
tides of cares, by what whirlwinds are they tossed
to and fro ? At one time by their rising error they
are hurried away, wheresoever the wind of novelty
blows them ; at another they turn against them¬
selves and are dashed to pieces, like so many con¬
flicting : now with rash presumption they approve
those things that are uncertain ; again they tremble
with unreasonable fear at those things that are cer¬
tain; they are uncertain where to go, where to re¬
turn, what to seek, what to flee, what to hold, what
to relinquish.

* What a beautiful but sad picture of ancient and
modern heretics is here portrayed ? What comparison
can be more fit to represent the thousand sects of the
Protestant religion than the idea of chaff before the wind,
or the leaves of the trees before an autumnal blast. This
is the natural consequences of their fundamental rule
(which in fact is no rule,) the Bible alone interpreted by
private and individual authority. God permits the
devil to fill the Protestants with pride and self-conceit,
which baneful vices lead them to and fro in their notions
of the word of God, which each contends, he is suffi¬
cient to interpret and judge for himself. Their divisions
and subdivisions, and the many fanatical and blasphe¬
mous ways into which the wavering and unsteady
children of the reformation wrest the word of God, is
the greatest sign that a well meaning Protestant can
desire to be convinced ; that the pretended reformation
was a grand defection and a sacrilegious rebellion
again the Holy One, Christ Jesus, and his immaculate
spouse the Catholic Church, against which the gates of
hell cannot prevail.

58

And indeed this affliction of a doubtful and un¬
fortunate vibrating heart is a remedy intended by
Providence for their conversion, were they only
wise to use it. For, therefore, without the most safe
haven of the Catholic faith, they are shaken by the
diversity of their opinions, are buffeted and almost
shattered to pieces by the storms of new changes,*
that they ought to take down those sails of pride
which they had spread to navigate the sea of heresy,
and return back into the most safe harbour of their
peaceful and good mother , and firmly adhere to her ,
and radically throw away from them the bitter and
swelling waters of error, that they might after¬
wards be able to drink of the streams of living and
springing water. In her bosom let them have a
correct knowledge of all the doctrines of the Church
which can be comprehended by their understanding,
and believe what surpasses the understanding.

CHAP. XX. .

The fickleness of reformers changing every day their notions
on religion — that we should ■ hold fast the old faith — avoid
novelty — an exhortation to return to Catholicity.

Wherefore, having repeatedly meditated upon
these things I cannot but be astonished at the great
madness of some men, at the impiety of their blind
understanding, and finally at their great lust of in¬
venting errors ; that they do not rest with the old

* This is true of the Protestant Church of England -as
established by law, the novelties of Methodism, Uni-
versalism, Hoadlyism, and Baptists have brought it
almost now to the brink of ruin ; O that they were wise
to sail back their course to the haven of the Catholic
Church.

59

rule of faith once delivered ( to the saints) and re¬
ceived; but are every day seeking novelties and
always inclined to add something new to religion,
to change it, or take away therefrom; as' if the
doctrine were not from heaven and what was once
revealed is not sufficient; but a human institution
which cannot otherwise be brought to perfection
than by continual corrections, nay rather animad¬
versions; nevertheless the divine oracles cry out:
“pass not beyond the ancient bounds which thy
fathers have set.” Proverbs, Chap. -22. v. 28.

“ Judge not against a judge.” Eccl. 8. 17. “ He

that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”
Eccl. 10. 8. Likewise that charge of the Apostle
by which, as it were hy'a spiritual sword, all wicked
novelties of all wicked heresies have often and
always will be lopped off: “O Timothy, keep that
which is committed to thy trust, avoiding the pro¬
fane novelties of words, and oppositions of know¬
ledge falsely so called, which some promising have
erred concerning the faith.” 1 Tim. 6: v. 21.

Notwithstanding all this, there are some of such
hardihood, of brazen effrontery, of such consummate
impudence, of such unexampled obstinacy, that do
not yield to the force of such celestial eloquence,
nor do they give way to its weight ; men ! ! who are
not shaken by such power, nor moved by such ful¬
minating expressions! “ avoid” says he, “the pro-""-
fane novelties of words.” He did not say “ avoid the
primitive and ancient doctrines,” but plainly the
contrary. For if novelty is to be avoided : antiquity
is to be held fast : and if novelty be profane, it fol¬
lows of necessity that antiquity is sacred. The
Apostle proceeds ; “ avoid oppositions of knowledge y
falsely so called.”

t A correct epithet for the notions of heretics ; as
they endeavour to gloss over their ignorance with
the title of knowledge, their darkness light and light

60

darkness; “Which some,” he says, “promising
have erred concerning faith.” Promising what1?
Why some strange unheard of doctrines : one can
hear them thus speaking :* “ Come to us, O ye, un¬
wise and simple wretches, ye who are commonly
called Catholics, and from us learn the faith, which
besides us no one understands, which for many ages
lay hidden from the world, but lately revealed and
made manifest to us : but you must learn privily and
by stealth : for it will most certainly please you,
“ and moreover when you shall have learned our
way of thinking, teach it silently least the world
hear you, or the Church know it. For it is given
but to few to know the secrets of so great a mys¬
tery. Now are these the words of that harlot, who
in the Proverbs of Solomon calls to them that pass
by the way, and go on their journey! “He that
is a little one, let him turn to me.” “ She entreats
those that want understanding, and says to them:”
“ Stolen waters are sweeter, and hidden bread is
more pleasant.” But what further1? Why, “he
did not know that giants are there, and that her
guests are in the depths of hell.” Proverbs 9. 15.
and 16. 17. Who are those giants 1 The Apostle
explains it : they are those, who erred concerning
the faith.

* This is indeed verified literally all over the United
States of America, the Methodists of every connexion,
the Presbyterians, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, and in
short all the followers of the Proteus reformation, cry out
to the Catholics in the same language used by the old
heretics in the time of St. Vincent, but whilst the Catho¬
lic holds fast to the anchor of the old Church he may
ask those doughty religionists, so many of you cry,
“ come to ns,” that truth is not with you all : truth is
one, unchangeable, like God its author; now in the
Catholic Church alone faith remains always the same ;
I will do well to hold it fast, as I prize my salvation.

61

CHAP. XXI.

A further illustration of the words of St. Paul to Timothy
his leloved disciple. ■

But it is profitable to weigh every word of that
memorable charge of the Apostle. “ O Timothy,”
says he, “ keep that which is committed to thy trust,
avoiding the profane novelties of words.” O! this
is an exclamation of foreknowledge and of charity.
For he had a foreknowledge of those errors, which
were to be invented in future times, and wept over
them. But who is the Timothy of our times 1
Why either generally the whole Church or in par¬
ticular the whole body of Bishops, who ought to
have a foreknowledge of divine worship and to
teach it to others 1 What means, “keep that which
is committed to thy trust;” keep that sacred de-
positum, lest whilst men are asleep at night, thieves
and enemies come and sow tares among the good
seed of the wheat which the Son of Man had sowed
in his field. “ Keep that which is committed to thy
trust,’’ says he. What means, that which is com¬
mitted to thy trust 1 It means, that which is com¬
mitted to thee, and not that which is invented by
thee : it means, that which you have received, and
not what you have fabricated: a doctrine not of
human invention, but divinely taught ; not of private
monopoly, but of public tradition; a doctrine handed
down to you, and not made by you ; and of which
you must not be the author, but the keeper ; not the
f institutor, but the follower; not leading, but follow¬
ing. “ Keep that, says he, which is committed to

6

62

thy trust:” keep the talent of Catholic faith pure
and inviolable. Let that, which is intrusted to you,
remain with you, and be handed down by you to
others. You have received gold, return gold, as I
cannot abide to be repaid by you in worse coin than
I gave, so I would not have you return lead for
gold, or fraudulently give it the specious tinsel of
brass : I am not satisfied with the appearance, but
the real nature and substance of gold.

O Timothy, O Bishop, O Preacher, O Doctor,
if the gift of God has made thee fit and worthy, in
abilities, in practice and doctrine, be thou the Bese-
leel of the spiritual tabernacle, the Catholic Church,
carve out the precious gems of divine revelation,
set them in order with fidelity, adorn them with
wisdom, set forth their brilliancy, beauty and grace.
When you preach, let that which you expound be
so elucidated, that it be understood by your hearers,
though before only obscurely believed. Neverthe¬
less teach the same things you have learned, so
that, although you teach after a new mode (by per¬
spicuity in explanation) yet that you may not teach
any thing new.

G3

CHAP. XXII.

In the revelation of Jesus Christ is implicitly contained what
has since been explicitly defined by the Church the pillar
and ground of truth.

But a man may say : shall not, therefore, be any
proficiency of Religion in the Church of Christ 1*
Yes, most undoubtedly, and that too very great. For
how can there be one so envious to man, or so hate¬
ful to God as to endeavour to prevent it. Neverthe¬
less it must be an explicit explanation of faith, and
not a change. Indeed improvement tends to bring
the subject to its perfection ; whilst alteration trans¬
forms it into an heterogeneous stuff. The under¬
standing, knowledge, and wisdom of all men of every

* From the Law and the Prophets the faithful had a
belief in a Redeemer to come, but not that clear
testimony as Christians havep Ephes. 3. 5. “As
you leading may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ, which in other generations was
not known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to
his holy Apostles, and Prophets in the Spirit.” With¬
out change in doctrine the Church teaches a more ex¬
plicit faith, e. g. on the divine and human natures
of Christ in one person, e. g. on the Trinity, on the
infant baptism, on baptism conferred by heretics in after
ages by her general councils. For the Apostles and
their lawful successors are in all ages the depositories
j of revealed Religien, and when it seems good to them
• and to the Holy Ghost, they give a more full explana¬
tion of truths of faith.

G-l

age and condition, in the whole Church ought
therefore increase and come to perfection, yet in the
self-same doetrine and in the same isense and mean¬
ing. Let the religion of the soul imitate the
gradual increase of the body ; which in the process
of time counts over it numbers of years, yet it re¬
mains still the same body. There is much differ¬
ence between the bloom of youth and the maturity
of old age : but yet the old men are the self-same
who were youths ; so that although the state or
manner of the same be changed, nevertheless his
nature is the same, and his person the same. The
tender limbs of the infant, and his robust limbs in
manhood are yet the very same. The child has all
the members of man, and whatever we find produced
by maturity of age is but an evolution of that which
was in the seed ; so that no new perfection accrues
to man from old age, as in youth all that had re¬
mained hidden within him. Whence there can be
no doubt that this is the lawful and right rule of im¬
proving, that is, the proper and fairest mode of in¬
creasing faith, provided that the number of years
spins out to old age the same principles and forms
which the wisdom of the Creator formed in the
tenderest age.

But if the human shape should be transformed
into some unnatural form, or that something be
added to, or taken from the number of members, it
must come to pass necessarily that the whole body
be either destroyed or become a monster, or at least
debilitated ; in like manner the doctrine of the Chris¬
tian religion .must follow these laws and rules in its
improvement and proficiency : that is, it is to be con¬
solidated by years, to be spread by degrees and
become sublime by age : nevertheless it must re¬
main uncorrupted and unstained, and be full and
perfect in all its parts, in all its members and in its

es

proper meaning ; moreover it must admit of no
change or of no diminution of its propriety ; it must
suffer no variety in its definitions.

For example’s sake. Our Fathers had sowed of
old the seed of the wheat of faith in the field of the
Church. It is very iniquitous and unprincipled of
us their posterity to endeavour to gather the sup¬
posititious errors of cockle instead of the genuine
truths of the good seed. But it is truly meet and
just, that our consequences be rightly deduced from
our antecedents, and that we reap a wheat harvest
of sound doctrine from the good seed of the same
kind : so that when through the process of time any
firing should grow up from these primary seeds, and
is now in bloom and highly cultivated ; and though
nothing is to be changed in its genuine production,
yet method, beauty, form and distinction may be
added : nevertheless the nature of every species
remains the very same. God forbid that the plea¬
sant nursery of the Catholic sense be converted
into thistles and thorns. God forbid I say that in
this spiritual paradise, cockle and hemlock should
germinate from stocks of cinnamon and balsam.
Whatever therefore has been sown by the faith of
our Fathers in this field of the Church of God, this
should be cultivated and improved by the industry
of us their posterity, this same should flourish and
become mature that is, it should be improved and
brought to perfection. For it is proper, that in the
course of time, those ancient doctrines of celestial
philosophy be carefully kept, filed and polished;
but it is unlawful, that they be changed, broken, or
mutilated. They may admit evidence, perspicuity
arid distinction; yet must retain their plenitude,-'
their integrity and propriety. For if the liberty of
impious fraud be once admitted, I shudder to say,
what danger of destroying and abolishing Religion
6*

6<r

may follow. For* if any part of - Catholic doctrine
be once rejected, and soon another and another part
will also be given up; these again will be lollowed
by more and more, and the custom of changing being
once a precedent, they will reject and rescind more
and more every day.

And when the parts are rejected, what will be the
consequence but that they will reject the whole!
But if on the contrary, they began to mix their
novelties with the old religion, foreign with domes¬
tic, and profane with sacred, this custom may uni¬
versally spread, so that necessarily in the Church
there would be nothing left uncorrupted, nothing
unstained, nothing undefiled, but it becomes the re¬
ceptacle of impious and shameful errors, though
before the sanctuary of chaste and uncorrupted truth.
But may the divine goodness preserve the minds of
the faithful from such impiety, and let this be the
effect of the frenzy of the impious. But the Church .
of Christ, the careful and cautious guardian of the
doctrines committed to her charge,! never changes
any thing in them , diminishes nothing, adds nothing ,
does not lop off things necessary , does not engraft
superfluous things, loses nothing, never usurps what

* Here is a picture of the Reformation ; Luther re¬
jected a part of Catholic Doctrine; the Anabaptists reject
more; Calvin next rejects a great part ; Zwingle goes
farther ; and1 after them Socinius rejects what they had
left. Henry VIII. of England, rescinds some articles of
Catholic faith, Elizabeth his daughter more, and the boy
Edward by his council still more ; the Puritans clip off
a portion, and the Independents another: Wesley re¬
forms, and Whitfield improves on him. Fox forms
Quakerism, Barclay helps, and Hicks still more im¬
proves. Error always varies.

t She is therefore infallible and never did, nor never
will fall into any error in faith and morality.

67

\ .

does not belong to her , but makes her only concern
to treat faithfully and wisely of antiquity ; so that if
she find any thing not properly defined but only
began in antiquity, she corrects and polishes it, and
confirms and strengthens whatever she finds to have
been of old expressed and clear; and whatever she
finds already confirmed and defined, she keeps care¬
fully.

Finally why has she ever depended on the decrees
of councils ; only that,' what was simply believed
before, may for the future be more diligently be¬
lieved and be more pressingly preached, and be
the more religiously venerated and kept sacred1?
This I say is what the Catholic Church has always
done through the decrees of her councils, whenever
she was attacked by the rising renovations of here¬
tics, except that, whatever she received from the
Fathers through tradition alone she consigned to
■written manuscripts for the use of posterity, by com¬
prising a great number of subjects in a few words,
and more frequently, to enlighten the understanding
by sealing no new sense of faith by the propriety of
a new term.

i

CHAPTER XXIII.

Heresy to be avoided as a Scorpion — the Catholic Church
alone always the same — tradition her support — novelties
to be rejected — all heretics separated from the Catholic
Church.

But let us return to the Apostle. “O Timothy,
keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding
the profane novelties of words.” 1 Tim. 6. 20.
Avoid them, says he, as you would a viper, a
scorpion, a basilisk, lest they poison you mortally,
not only with their bite, but even with their sight
and breath. What does he mean by “avoiding!”
Why truly not to eat with such. 1 Cor. 5. 11.
What means “ avoid!” “Because,” says St. John,
2 Epistle, 6. 10, “ If any man come to you and

bring not this doctrine.” What doctrine but that
Catholic and universal doctrine, which remaining
one and the same in every successive age without
interruption through the uncorrupt tradition of truth,
will so continue the* same for ever. What then!
because, says the Apostle, “ receive him not into
the house, nor say to him, God speed you.” For
he that saith unto him, “ God speed you,” communi-
cateth with his wicked works. Again, “ avoid the
profane novelties of words,” says he. WThat is the
meaning of “profane!” Because they have no¬
thing sacred in them, nothing religious, and are wholly
foreign from the bosom of the Church, which is the
temple of God. “Profane novelties of words,” says

Our author teaches the infallibility of the Church.

69

lie : that is novelties of doctrines, of subjects and of
opinions, which are contrary to the antiquity, and
every thing taught and believed of old ; which if
they bo received, it is necessary that the faith of
the holy Fathers be violated either entirely or for
the greater part ; it also follows of necessity in case
that all the faithful of all ages, all the saints, all the
chaste, continent virgins, all the clergy, deacons
and priests, all the thousands of confessors, the
whole armies of martyrs, the crowds of cities and
multitudes of people, so many islands, provinces,
kings, people, nations, kingdoms, in fine nearly the
whole world, united to Christ the head by the
• Catholic faith, must be pronounced ignorant, errone¬
ous, blasphemous, and not to have known for many
ages what a Christian ought to believe. “Avoid,”
says he, “ the profane novelties of words which
Catholics never receive nor follow, but which here¬
tics ever. did.

And indeed what heretical novelty was there
ever broached but wre can point out its author, the
place and time of its birth 1 Who is the founder of
any heresy that did not separate himself from the
communion of the ancient Catholic, universal
Church'? Now examples prove this but too clear.
For before the profane Pelagius, who had the pre¬
sumption to claim such high prerogative for free¬
will, as to think that the grace of God is not ne¬
cessary to assist us to do good works! Who,
before his monstrous disciple Celestinus, had denied
all mankind guilty of original sin through the guilt
of Adam’s prevarication? Who before the sacri¬
legious Arius dared to dissolve the unity of Trinity?
Who, before the impious Sabellius presumed to
confound the Trinity of persons in the unity of one
Godhead ? Who before the wicked Novatian said
God is cruel, that he would rather the death of the
sinner than that he be converted and live ? Who,

70

before Simon Magus, stricken by the Apostolic
sword (from whom that old sink of impurities have,
through a continued dark succession, flowed down
to Priscillian the last) would dare say that God
was the author* of evil, that is of our crimes, im¬
pieties and wickedness! For he affirms, that God
with his own hands created the very nature of man
such, that he (Adani) by his own powrer and by the
impulse of, as it were, some necessary will, could
do noticing, will nothing but sin ; so that his nature
being harassed and inflamed by the fire of every
vice was plunged in all manner of uncleanness by
an unsatiable passion. There are innumerable
other examples of this kind, which I omit for brevity
sake ; from all which we can evidently and clearly
see, how remarkable and constant a custom it is
with heretics to pride themselves in their novelties,
to nauseate the decrees of antiquity, and by the
oppositions of pretended knowledge, make a ship¬
wreck of faith. But on the other hand, truly it has
been always the grand characteristic of Catholics
to keep inviolable the deposits of the fathers, and
whatever was committed to their trust, to condemn
profane novelties, and as the Apostle repeats it :
“If any man preach to you a gospel besides that
which you have received, let him be anathema.”
Gal. 1. 9.

+ Calvin renewed this impious tenet.

71

CHAP. XXIV.

The subtlety of heretics in quoting Scripture and wresting
it to suit their novel opinions.

Here perhaps it may be asked, if heretics use
the testimonies of the holy Scriptures. They do
and vehemently too. For you may see* them fly
through the whole of the volumes of the holy Law,
the books of Moses, of Kings, the Psalms, Apostles,
Gospels, and Prophets. And whether among them¬
selves or with strangers, in public or private, in
their talk or books, at meals or in the streets, you
will scarcely ever hear them utter a syllable that
do not pretend to express according to Scripture
phraseology.

Read the small works of Paulf of Samosata, of
Priscillian, of Eunomius, of Jovinian, and of other
pests of Christendom, and you will see the great

* This is literally true now in England and the United
States of America: let the Catholic go where he will,
his ears will drink the Bible cant, the tract cant, in the
stage, steam or canal boats, in the streets and the pri¬
vate houses.

t Paul of Samosata, a city in Syria, and Bishop of
Antioch, a man given to the most abandoned^morals and
a great favourite of Zenobia Queen of Palmyra, who
very warmly supported the Jews, taught that Christ icas
not always, nor before the Virgin Mary. Two Councils,
first in 264 and second in 270, or with Baronius in 272,
were held against him, in which he was convicted of
> impiety and heresy, anathematized and deposed from
the Episcopacy: and Domnus substituted in his place.

72

mass of texts, so that almost.no page can be found,^
that is not stuffed and coloured with sentences of
the Old and New Testament. But they are the
more to be guarded against and dreaded, the more
they cloak their impiety under the garb ol holy

And unwilling to quit the Episcopal house, Aurelius the
Emperor, though an heathen, at the request ot the called
Bishops, ordered him to give possession of the house to
those to whom the Italian prelates and the Bishop ot
Rome would determine by letters it should be conceded.
Euseb. Lib. 7. C. 23 and 24. Eunomius was of Dacora
a village of Cappadocia : was the notary ot Aetius the
heretic, from whom he had imbibed, his heterodoxy.
He became Bishop of Mysa in Phrygia and translated to
the See of Cyzicum, denied the Divinity of Christ and
also the Holy Ghost, the future punishment of Hell, and
may be looked upon as the father of modem Deists and
Unitarians.

Jovinian of Milan, a monk, having left his monastery,
went to Rome and began to spread his errors, which
may be comprised in these four : First. They who have
been regenerated in Baptism with perfect faith, cannot
be again vanquished, by the devil: Second. All who
shall have preserved the grace of baptism, will have an
equal reward in heaven: Third. Virgins have no
greater merit before God than married women, if they
are equal in other merits : Fourth. The Mother of God
was not always a Virgin : and abstinence from certain
meats is unprofitable. Jovinian lived at Rome in a man¬
ner suitable to his sensual principles. Pope Siricius
assembled a council of his clergy in 390, in which the
errors of Jovinian were condemned and himself excom¬
municated. Jerome ou Jovinian, St. Ambrose to Siri¬
cius, Epist. 36 and 42.

All those impious and heretical principles of ancient
heresiarchs have been renewed by the pretended re¬
formers, and consequently Luther, Calvin and others
merely read the errors of past ages and adopted them as
if they were their own peculiar inventions, and fathered
them as such on their ignorant and deluded followers.

73

Scripture. For they well know that their fulsome¬
ness will be agreeable to none, if it be exposed
nakedly and simply : they therefore sprinkle them
as it were with spices of holy writ ; that he who
would otherwise see through their errors with con¬
tempt, might not despise so quick what they conceal
under the name of Scripture. And therefore they
exactly do, what those are wont to, who, when they
are about to temper some strong dose for children,
put some sugar in their mouth ; that their unsuspect¬
ing age having first tasted of sweetness, may the
more easily swallow the bitter pill. Or as quacks,
who give baneful herbs and noxious distillations, the
plausible titles of infallible cures, that no one, who
would read the fine advertisements of their pretended
medicines, would suspect a latent poison.

Wherefore our Saviour cried out: “ Beware of
false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of
sheep, but inwardly are ravening wolves.” Matt.
7. 15. What is the clothing of the sheep but the
words of the Prophets and Apostles, which, they,
with the simplicity of a sheep, have woven together
for the immaculate Lamb, “ who taketh away the
sins of the world as a woollen fleece 1” Who are
the ravening wolves, but the fierce and mad inter¬
pretations of heretics, which infest always the sheep-
fold of the Church and tear the flock of Christ by
every means in their power? And to steal more
slily upon the heedless sheep, though keeping in¬
teriorly the ferocity of the wolf, they exteriorly put
off its name and cover themselves with Bible texts
as with fleeces of wool; so that no one would sus¬
pect the fangs of a wolf, where nothing is visible
but the softness of a sheep. But what says our
Saviour; “By their fruits you shall know them.”
Matt. 7. 16. That is, when they shall begin not
only to produce those divine Scripture phrases, but
also to explain them, nor yet to repeat them over,

74

but to interpret them, it is then, that bitterness,
■acerbity, fanaticism will be manifest, then their
newly invented poison will exude its venom, then
their profane novelties will be exposed ; then you
may see the hedge dragged down, the bounds of the
fathers removed, the Catholic faith cut off and the
doctrine of the Church tom to pieces.

Such were they, whom the Apostle in his Epistle
to the Corinthians condemns; saying: “For such
false Apostles,” says he, “are deceitful workmen,
transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ.”
2 Cor. 11. 13. What means “ transforming them¬
selves into the Apostles of Christ]” The Apostles
quoted the divine. Law (of Moses;) these do the
same. The Apostles made use of the authorities
of the Psalms ; so do these too. The Apostles pro¬
duced the text of the Prophets: these produce it in
like manner: but when they do not interpret in the
same sense those texts, which they quote equally,
then you may easily distinguish the simple Apostles
from the deceitful, the real from the masked, the
upright from the perverse, and in short the true
Apostles from the false Apostles. “And no won¬
der; for Satan himself transformeth himself into an
Angel of light.” 2 Cor. 11. 14. It is not there¬
fore astonishing if his ministers transform them¬
selves as the ministers of justice. Therefore, ac¬
cording to the doctrine of the Apostle Paul, as often
as either false Apostles, false prophets, or false
teachers produce texts of holy writ, and by their
false interpretations endeavour to prop up their
errors, there is not the least doubt but they follow
the machination of. the devil their master ; which
indeed he would never invent unless he knew that
an easier scheme for deception cannot be, than to
cloak, with the authority of Scripture, the impious
doctrines which he steals into the world.

75

CHAP. XXV.

The devil quoted Scriptiire to tempt Jesus Christ : Heretics
quote it to tempt Catholics, at the suggestion of Satan
their master.

But some one will say: how can it be proved
that the devil is wont to make use of the Scripture?
Let him read the Gospel in which it is written :
“then the devil took him,” that is our Lord and
Saviour, “ up into the holy City, and set him upon
the pinnacle of the Temple and said to him; If thou
be the Son of God east thyself down ; for it is writ¬
ten : that he hath given his angels charge over thee,
and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest per¬
haps thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Matt. 4.
5. What will not he do against poor and miserable
men, when he dared to tempt the Lord of Majesty
with testimonies of Scripture ? “ If,” he says, “ thou

be the Son of God, cast thyself down.” Why? He
says, “ for it is written.” It is our duty to attend to,
and deeply imprint tire force of this passage on our
minds : that from this striking example of the evan¬
gelists’ authority, we may not at all doubt, but that
the devil speaks to us through those, whom we will
see quoting the texts of the Apostles or prophets
against the Catholic faith. For as then the head
spoke to the head, so now the members speak to the
members ; I say the members of the devil speak to
the members of Christ; the perfidious to the faithful;
the sacrilegious to the religious ; in fine the heretics
i to the Catholics.

But then, what in this place does the devil say ?

76

“ It',” he says, “ thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down,” that is, if you wish to be the Son of God
and to receive the inheritance of the kingdom of
heaven, cast thyself down ; that is, sever thyself
from the doctrine and tradition of that sublime
Church, which is taken for the temple of God. But
if one ask any of the heretics, who would persuade ;
“ how do you prove, on what authority do you teach
that I ought to leave the universal and ancient faith
of the Catholic Church he abruptly says: “for it
is written.” And forthwith he prepares a thousand
testimonies, a thousand authorities and examples
from the Law, the Psalms, the Apostles, the Pro¬
phets, and having interpreted them after a novel
and bad way, the unhappy soul is even precipitated
from the Catholic pillar into the bottomless pit of
heresy. It is astonishing how heretical men have
got into the habit of deceiving the incautious, by
6uch promises as the following. For they dare
promise and teach, that in their Church, that is, in
the meeting* of their connexion, there is great and

* Here I cannot but observe the conformity of here¬
tics of every age and of every nation, both in their
ridicule of the Catholic Church and their pressing in¬
vitation to their meetings, &c. From St. Vincent we
learn how they acted in fifth Century. And now in the
nineteenth Century in the United States of America,
the same is presented to us in every state, city, town
and village: “do but come,” say they, “to hear our
preacher, try our meetings, I am sure you will be
pleased ; we have a great revival of religion among us ;
come and you will get the Spirit. You Catholics, are
ignorant, priest-ridden ; you have no revivals, you do
not feel the Spirit.” Such and a thousand other offen¬
sive and opprobrious epithets constitute the common
place cant of modern fanatics, whereby they continually
grate the ear of Catholics ; but the" Catholie who is

77

special and lully personal gifts of the Spirit of God,
so that without any labour, without any study, with¬
out industry; nay without asking, without seek¬
ing, or knocking, all of their way of thinking can be
so divinely dispensed with, that they, raised by
angelic hands, that is, preserved by angelic pro¬
tection, can never hurt their foot against a stone ;*
that is never fall into the sin of scandal.

CHAP. XXVI.

What the Catholic must do against the guile of Heretics
who tempt him — he is to trust to the traditions and doc¬
trine of the one holy and Catholic Church — those who
reject that Church, reject God.

But it may be asked ; if both the devil and his
disciples make use of holy writ, its texts and pro¬
mises, some of which are false Apostles, some false
prophets, and false teachers, and all and every of
them heretics; what are Catholic men and the
children of the mother Church to dol How will
they distinguish truth from falsehood in the sacred
Scripture 1 They must take special care to act as
in the beginning of this Commonitory, which I have
written according to what holy and learned men
handed down to us, and is this, that, they are to in¬
terpret the canon of the Scriptures according to the
traditions of the universal Church, and according to

weak enough to give them a willing ear will be pre¬
cipitated from the pillar and ground of truth into the
gulf of heresy.

t * Such is the cant of Methodists and Calvinists at

the present day.

78

the rules of the Catholic faith; also in which
Catholic and Apostolical Church it is necessary
that they follow universality, antiquity and consent.
And if at any time it should so happen, that a part
rebel against universality, that novelty rebel against
antiquity, or a secession of one or a few erroneous
men, rise up against the consent of all, or indeed
nearly the greater part of Catholics, let them prefer
the integrity of universality to the corruption of a
part: in which same universality, let them prefer
the religion of antiquity to the profanity of novelty,
and likewise in antiquity itselt, let them prefer the
general decrees, if any be, of an (Ecumenical
Council to the temerity of one or of very few;
moreover if that be not defined, let them follow,
what is nearest in its authority, the concurring
decisions of many and great Doctors. By faithfully,
soberly, and carefully observing this rule, with the
help of the Lord, we will, without much difficulty,
be able to detect all the baneful errors of rising
heretics.

T9

CHAP. XXVII.

Heresy to be refuted by the Bible explained in the general
sense uf the holy fathers a:id decisions of councils — no
one must despise the. Catholic Church.

Here now I see it follows of necessity, that I
demonstrate by examples the manner in which the
profane novelties of heretics may be detected and
condemned, by quoting and confronting with them
the doctrines unanimously maintained by the primi¬
tive fathers. Nevertheless this ancient consent of
the fathers is not to be investigated and followed in
all the petty questions of the divine Law, but only
indeed and chiefly in the rule of faith, and that too
with great care. But this method is not always to
be followed, nor against all heresies, but only when
novel and recent novelties make their first appear¬
ance, when, from want of time such heretics are
prevented from vitiating the rules of ancient faith,
and before the poison having extensively spread,
they endeavour to adulterate the works of the
fathers.

But widely extended and inveterate heresies are
not at all to be attacked in this way, because from
the process of time they had full opportunity of em¬
bracing truth. And therefore it behooves us to re¬
fute those more ancient profanities, either of schisms
or heresy, no otherw-ise than, if it be necessary,
either by the sole authority of Scripture, or shun
them already of old condemned and rejected by the
general councils of Catholic Bishops.

[ Therefore, as soon the rottenness of any evil error
shall begin to break out, and pilfer some words of

80

the Bible for its defence, and falsely and fraudulent¬
ly expound them, immediately the decisions of the
fathers are to be collected for the interpreting the
Sacred Canon; by these (the decisions of the fa¬
thers) every novelty whatever that will rise up will
be clearly detected as profane, without the least
ambiguity, and will be condemned without any re¬
tractation.

/'But the decisions of those fathers alone are to be
admitted, who, living in sanctity, teaching in wisdom
and constantly persevering to the end of their lives
in the Catholic faith and communion, merited either
to die faithfully in Christ, or happily be put to
death for Christ. Nevertheless we must trust them
with this proviso, that whatever tenet all or the
greater part of them had, manifestly, frequently and
perseveringly confirmed in one and the same sense,
by receiving holding and delivering down the same,
as it were by a concurring council of Doctors, that
tenet we must hold as indubitable, certain and rati¬
fied.

However holy and learned, though a Bishop,
though a Confessor and Martyr, yet if such an one
hold any thing besides, or contrary to all, that is to
be classed distinctly among the peculiar private and
hidden petty opinions, far from the common and
public general decision ; lest w'e follow the novel
error of one man to the evident danger of our salva¬
tion, by rejecting the ancient truth of Catholic
doctrine after the sacrilegious manner of heretics
and Schismatics. Lest any one imagine that he
may with temerity despise the holy and Catholic
consent of those holy fathers, the Apostle in the
first Epistle to the Corinthians says: “And God in¬
deed hath set some in the Church, first Apostles,”
(of whom he was one) “ secondarily Prophets” (such
we read Agabus was, in the Acts of the Apostles)
“ thirdly, Doctors,” 1 Cor. 12. 28, who are now

SI

called preachers; whom the very same Apostle
sometimes classes among the prophets ; because the
mysteries of the prophets are clearly explained to
the people. Whosoever shall despise those men
divinely appointed in all ages and nations in the
Church, unanimously agreeing on some one point
in the sense of a Catholic tenet ; such an one does
not despise man, but God ; lest any one differ from
their infallible unity, the same Apostle the more
earnestly beseeches, saying : “ Now I beseech you,
brethren, that you all speak the same thing, and
that there be no schisms among you, but that you
be perfect in the same mind and in the same judg¬
ment.” 1 Cor. 1. v. 10. But any one shall revolt
from the communion of their doctrine, he will hear
■ this of the Apostle : “ God is not the God of dis-
sention, but of peace,” (that is, not of him who
separates himself from unity of teaching but of
those, who persevered in the unity of doctrine,)
“as also I teach,” says lie, “ in all the Churches of
the Saints.” 1 Cor. 14. 33. That is of Catholics :
which Churches are holy, because they persist in
the communion of one faith.

And lest any person, having no regard for others,
would become so arrogant that he alone should be
heard and believed, the Apostle says a little after ;
“ or did the word of God come out from you? Or
came it only to you?” And for fear this would not
make a deep impression, he adds; “if any seem to
be a prophet or spiritual, let him know the things
that I write to you, that they are the commandments
of the Lord.” 1 Cor. 14. 37. And which com¬
mandments are these, but that whosoever is a pro¬
phet or spiritual, that is a teacher of things spiritual,
that he with all care be a follower of equality and
unity ; that indeed he neither would prefer his own
t opinions to those of others, nor secede from tho
decisions of all.

82

The Apostle' says : “ if any man know not those
commandments, he shall not be known.” 1 Cor.
14. 38. That is" lie, who there is does not learn
what he is ignorant of, or despises what he knows,
shall not be known, that is, he shall be deemed un¬
worthy of being' looked upon as one of those, who
are divinely united in faith and put upon an equality
by their humility"; than which misfortune I know
nothing more miserable. Nevertheless we have
seen that misery befall, according to Apostolic
threat, Julian the Pelagian, who either neglected to
incorporate himself to himself with the doctrine of his
colleagues, or presumed to dismember himself from
their communion. But, it is now time to produce
the example which we had promised, when and how
the decisions of the holy fathers were gathered to¬
gether, in order that the rule of ecclesiastical faith
be fixed according to them from the decree’ and
authority of a council. That this object may be
done the more conveniently, let this then be the
limit of this Commonitory, that we may take, what
follows from another exordium.

83

“The Second Commonitory is Lost, and all that
remains of it is a few fragments, nay a mere recapitula¬
tion, which is thereto rejoined.” This is observed in
all the editions and manuscripts of St. Vincent’s Com¬
monitory.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Recapitulation of the two Commonitories — Rule of Faith is

the Bible and the tradition of the Catholic Church.

When these things are so, it is now time to re¬
capitulate, at the end of this Second Commonitory;
these matters which we have laid down in these
two Commonitories. We have said in the fore¬
going, that the custom of Catholics always had
been and is, at this day, this, that they prove the
true faith by this two-fold manner ; first, by the
authority of Holy Scripture, and secondly, by the
tradition of the Catholic Church; not that the
Canon of Holy Scripture alone is not of itself suffi¬
cient unto all things,* but because so many, who in¬
terpret the word of God, most of them after their
own fancy, bring into the world various opinions
and errors, so that it becomes necessary, that the
understanding of the heavenly Scripture be directed
according to the one ride of the sense of the Church,
and the more especially on these questions on
which the grounds of the whole Catholic doctrine
do rest. Moreover, we have also said that we
ought to behold in the Church itself the Consent ,

j * That it contains — such to be the meaning of St.
Vincent, is evident from the whole system of this work.

84

as well of -universality, as of antiquity , lest we be
severed from the integrity of unity and fall into a
Schismatical faction, or be precipitated from the
religion of antiquity into the novelties of heresy.
Likewise we have said, that in the very antiquity
of the Church two things are to be firmly and care¬
fully observed, whereunto all those who will not be
heretics, must faithfully adhere ; first, they must ad¬
here to whatever has been decreed of old by all the
Bishops of the Catholic Church, assembled together
in a general council ; Secondly, if any new question
may arise, when the definition of a council cannot
be had, we must then have recourse to the decisions
of the holy fathers, and among them of those only,
who in their own times and places continuing in the
unity of the communion and faith, had been esteem¬
ed approved Doctors, and whatever we find them
to have unanimously approved in one and the same
sense, that we are, without scruple, to believe to be
the true and Catholic sense of the Church. Lest
we may seem to draw forth any thing from our own
presumption, rather than from the authority of the
Church, we have applied the example of a holy
council, which had been nearly three years since
celebrated at Ephesus, in Asia, in the consulship
of Bassus and Antiochus ; where when the fathers
of the council were debating about defining the
rules of faith, lest perhaps some profane novelty
might creep in like unto the perfidy at Rimini, “ to
all the Bishops, who were there assembled to the
number of nearly two hundred, this seemed to be
the most Catholic, the most faithful and the most
expedient, to produce before all the decisions of the
holy fathers, some of whom, it was manifest, were
Martyrs, some Confessors, but all were Catholic
Bishops, and persevered so to the end of their lives :
in order, that the religion of the ancient doctrine
may be confirmed, duly and solemnly by their

85

unanimity and decree; and that the blasphemy of
profane novelty may be condemned.

When that had been done, the impious Nestorius
was judged to be contrary to Catholic antiquity,
whilst the blessed Cyril was pronounced conforma¬
ble to sacred antiquity. And that nothing be want¬
ing to the fidelity of these proceedings ; we have
given as well the names as the number, (although
we have forgotten the order) of those fathers, ac¬
cording to whose joint and unanimous sentence
even the words of the Holy Bible were explained
and the rule of divine doctrine corroborated; that
the memory of this be the more lasting, I do not
think it by any means superfluous to record them
here.

CHAP. XXIX.

A list of those fathers whose writings were consulted as a
criterion, whereby the fathers at Ephesus explained the
Bible, and confirmed the old true and one Catholic faith.

Therefore these are the men, the writings of
whom, either as judges, or as witnesses were read
in that Council. St. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria,
a most excellect Doctor, and a most blessed martyr.
St. Athanasius, prelate* of the same city, a most

* St. Vincent in some places makes use of the words
Sacerdos and Episcopus to denote the Episcopal order
and authority. As an instance of this read the forego-
1 ing chapter, and you find him styling those fathers
Catholics. -Sacerdotes, whose writings were consulted by
the Bishops, the fathers in Council at Ephesus, whom in

8

86

orthodox Doctor, and a most eminent Confessor.
St. Theophilus also, Bishop of the same city, and a
man very remarkable for his faith, his life and
learning : who was succeeded by the venerable
Cyril, who at this time is the ornament of the
Alexandrian Church. And lest it should be imagin-

tbis chapter he calls Episcopos. A Bishop is an Epis-
copus and Sacerdos ; but a .Sacerdos or mere Priest is not
an Episcopas or Bishop.

The followers of Calvin, Knox, &c. &c. will find
here a subject for serious reflection. In short Bishops
alone arc the judges to decide in general council the
truth of faith and determine church discipline. -This
superior ecclesiastical order can be traced up to the
Apostles ; for Bishops, as the superiors of their diocesan
Priests, are the divinely appointed successors of the
Apostles of Jesus Christ.” “Take heed to yourselves
and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath
placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God which he
hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20. Let
us go to Acts 1. v. 20, where the election of an Apostle
isjproposed by St. Peter to fill the place of Judas the
traitor : for it is written in the book of Psalms : “ let their
habitation become desolate, and let there be none to
dwell therein: and let another take his Bishoprick.”
Ps. 108. Vulgat. Ps. 109. Septuag. and Heb. The
Vulgate translates Episcope Episcopatus, and to show the
superiority of Bishops, let us see what was that Episco¬
patus of the Psalmist. It was the place of Achitophel,
the prime counsellor and arch-traitor to King David,
who proposed to attack his sovereign in the night time
with twelve men, and whose advice until then was con¬
sidered as an oracle. 2 Kings 15. 12. and Chap. 16.
and 18. Achitophel was not an overseer but a judge
and director of the government, and so had Judas been,
and to this second traitorous Achitophel, as holding
superior and apostolic rank in the spiritual government
of the Church, succeeded Matthias, and took their place
of this ministry and Apostleship, from which Judas

87

eel that this is the dqctrine of one particular city
and province ; they also had recourse to the lumi¬
naries of Capadocia, St. Gregory of- Nazinnzum,
St. Basil of Ceserea in Capadocia, Bishop and Con-
lessor, likewise the other St. Gregory of Nysseu,
Bishop, who by the merit of his faith, his conversa¬
tion, the integrity of his life, and the excellence of
'his wisdom, was worthy of such a great brother
as Basil.

But it is not only Greece alone and the East, but
also the Western and Latin World was proved to
have been always so convinced ; and to show this,
there were read in the same council some letters
of St. Felix Martyr, and St. Julius, Bishops of the
City of Rome, which letters were directed to some
of the fathers. But to make it appear further, that
not only the head of the ivovld, but also the other
members thereof gave testimony to that judgment :
from the -South the most blessed Cyprian, Bishop of
Carthage and martyr, is brought in as evidence;
from the North St. Ambrose Bishop of Milan.
Therefore all these, having constituted the sacred
number of the decalogue, were produced at Ephe¬
sus, as Doctors, counsellors, witnesses and judges ;
whose doctrine that sacred Synod holding, whose
council following, believing in whose testimony,
whose judgment obeying, had pronounced on the
rules of faith, without tediousness, presumption and

hath by transgression fallen.” St. Paul left Titus in
Crete as the Apostle and chief Bishop of that Island;
“For this cause 1 left thee in Crete, that thou shouldst
set in order the things that are wanting, and shouldst
onlain Priests in every city as I also appointed thee.”
Thus Titus was to superintend, govern and rule the
Church in Crete. But how could this be done if he
were not superior in order and jurisdiction ? For ruling
bespeaks superiority.

88

favour. Although a more ample catalogue of the
ancients could have been adduced, it was not ne¬
cessary; because the time of business ought not to
be spent by counting over the multitude of witnesses,
and as no one bad the least doubt but that all the
other fathers, had held the same sentiments which
the ten mentioned above had testified to.

CHAP. XXX.

Antiquity is confirmed — novelty is exploded at Ephesus —
the caution of the fathers in handing down to posterity
what they received from their predecessors — presumption
of Nestorius, who like Luther stood up against the whole
Catholic Church.

After all these things, we have also added the
testimony of blessed Cyril, which is contained in
the very acts of the council. For when the Epistle
of Saint Capriolus Bishop of Carthage, had been
read, in which he intended and sought for nothing
else than that, after the extirpation of novelty,
antiquity should be defended, in this manner Bishop
Cyril spoke and defined ; which it seems not irrele¬
vant to insert in this place. For at the end of the
acts of that council he speaks; “ Let this Epistle
of the venerable, and very religious Capriolus Bi¬
shop of Carthage, whose decision is very manifest,
be inserted for a testimony of the acts of this coun¬
cil. For it is his will that the doctrine of the an¬
cient faith be confirmed, and that innovation super¬
fluously invented and impiously propagated, be
reprobated and condemned. All the fathers cry
out: these are the sentiments of us all, these we all
say, this is the desire of us all.”

89

At length what are the sentiments of all and
what are the desires of all, unless that what has
been handed down of old, should be held fast,
and what lately had been invented, should be forth¬
with exploded ] Now since these things we have
admired and highly praised, how great the humility
and sanctity of that council was ; that such a num¬
ber of Bishops, and for nearly the greater pert
metropolitans, men of such erudition, of such learn¬
ing, that almost all could dispute upon any question,
who as a collective body might have the confidence
of attempting and defining any thing on their own
authority : nevertheless they innovated nothing,
presumed nothing, arrogated nothing to themselves,
but they took every care that they should deliver
down nothing to posterity, but what they received
from the fathers : and for the time being, they not
only well disposed matters, but likewise gave pre¬
cedent for posterity in after times, that, for instance,
they venerated the doctrines of sacred antiquity,
but condemned the inventions of profane novelty.
Moreover we have passed our censure upon the
wicked presumption of Nestorius, because he boast¬
ed* that he himself was the first and only person
who understood the Holy Scripture; and that all
those fathers were ignorant therein; that before
himself, all those Doctors of the Church who had
expounded the Word of God, that is, all the Bishops,
all the confessors and martyrs, of whom some ex¬
plained the Law of God, and others of them followed

* Luther boasted that he had courage to stand alone
from the rest of Christians; so that he was not the
first who made boast of that impious breach; for Nes¬
torius preceded him.

8*

90

and believed their expositions thereon,* Nestorius ;
1 say, asserted they were all in error and that the
whole Church is now and always had been in error,
which (the Church,) it seemed to him (Nestorius)
had followed and would follow ignorant and erro¬
neous doctors.

• CHAP. XXXI.

The great authority of - Popes Sixtus and Ccelestinus, Bi¬
shops of the Apostolic See at Rome — their superiority
and precedence before all the other Bishops

Although what has been hitherto treated may
be more than sufficiently abundant, to overwhelm
and smother all profane novelties ; nevertheless lest
any thing be wanting to such plenitude of proofs,
at the end we have added the two-fold authority of
the Apostolic See, to wit, the one of the holy Pope
Sixtus, (the venerable personage) who now en-

+ Such has been always the language of every inno¬
vator that swerved from the truth taught in the Church
of God. Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Wesley, and all then-
deluded followers have adopted the old cant of the
most ancient heretics; they unite with Nestorius in
their bitter calumnies against the beloved spouse of the
Saviour. Who are those Doctors whom Nestorius im¬
piously calls erroneous? Ambrose, Cyril, Athanasius,
Cyprian, Capriolus. The rule of faith admitted by
these is what Catholics always did hold and do now,
that is the Bible in the sense of the Church and the tra¬
dition. But Protestants assume the arrogant position of
Nestorius, who held to his private interpretation of the
word.

91

lightens the Roman. Church, the other of his prede¬
cessor Pope Caelestinus*lpi blessed memory, which
I have judged necessary to insert here likewise.
Therefore St. Sixtus, Pope, in an epistle sent to
the Bishop of Antioch, on the case of Nestoiius,
says: “Therefore, because, as the Apostle says,
there is but one faith, which has evidently prevailed,
let us believe what we are to teach, and teach what
we are to believe.” Then what are those things
which we are to believe and to teach! He con¬
tinues and says; “nothing further,” saith he, “is
lawful for novelty; because it is meet nothing can
be added to antiquity. Let the clear faith and be¬
lief of our predecessors be disturbed by no mixture
of the mire of error.” This is indeed Apostolically
to adorn the belief of predecessors by the light of
perspicuity, and describe novel profanities by their
mixture of mire.

But St. Coelestine, Pope, speaks too in the same
style and is of the same sentiments. For he says
in an epistle, which he sent to the Bishops of the
Gauls, reproving their connivance, because they,
deserting the ancient faith by their silence, suffered
profane novelties to spring up among them; “if we
favour error by our silence, the fault deservedly lies
at our door. Therefore, let such be reproved ; let
them be no longer suffered to speak at pleasure.”
But perhaps some one may hesitate, and ask who
those are whom he inhibits from speaking at plea¬
sure their sentiments, whether preachers of ancient
doctrines or the inventors of novelty 1 Let himself
speak, let himself dissipate the reader’s doubts.

For he continues: saith he, “if the case be so.”

t * It was this holy Pope who commissioned St. Pat¬
rick to preach the faith to the Hibernians, who hold still
the torch of faith, once delivered to the saints.

92

(that is, if it be so, as some persons accuse, before
me, your cities and provinces, because by a baneful
dissimulation ye suffer them to assent to certain
innovations,) “ if the case be so,” saith he, “ then
let novelty cease from encroaching on antiquity.”
Therefore this is the blessed decision of the blessed
Ccelestinus, not that antiquity should cease to over¬
whelm novelty, but that novelty should not presume
to intrude itself upon antiquity.

CHAP. XXXII.

The insult offered to Jesus Christ by those who reject the
decrees of General Councils — Heretics always reject an¬
tiquity — conclusion.

Whosoever contravenes these Apostolical and
Catholic decrees, must first insult the memory of
holy Ccelestinus, who decreed that novelty should
cease to encroach on antiquity : in the second place,
such an one derides what has been defined by Saint
Sixtus, who decreed that there should be no room
left for novelty , because it is not lawful to add to
antiquity, moreover he must despise the statutes of
the blessed Cyril, who with great eloquence panegy¬
rized the zeal of the venerable Capriolus, because
he wished to confirm the ancient tenets of the
faith, and that novel inventions be condemned; such
an one must also trample under foot the Council of
Ephesus, that is, the decrees of the holy Bishops
of almost the whole east, to whom by the will of
God, it seemed good to decree that posterity must
believe nothing else, but what the sanctified and
self-conformable antiquity of the holy fathers had
held fast in Christ, and who even crying out and
exclaiming with one voice have testified, “ these

93

are the expressions of us all, this we all desire, this
we all think, ” that as almost all heretics before
Nestorius, despising antiquity and propagating novel¬
ty were justly condemned, so also let Nestorius
himself, the author of novelty, and the impugner of
antiquity be condemned. If the unanimity of those
fathers inspired by the gift of most holy and hea¬
venly grace displease any person, what else does he
follow unless that he. sow the profanity of Nesto¬
rius, as if not justly condemned ?

In fine, such a person must also despise the whole
Church of Christ, and the Doctors, his Apostles and
Prophets, but especially the blessed Apostle Paul as
so many off scourings : the Church , because she
never* shall withdraw from the religion of the faith
once delivered to her, which faith is to be revered
and practised ; but him, who has written : “ O
Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy
trust, avoiding the profane novelties of words,” and
again, “if any one preach to you a Gospel, besides
that which you have received, let him be anathema.”
Gal. 1. 9. Butf if neither the Apostolical defini-

* See here a proof of the infallibility of the Catholic
Church of Christ being believed in the fifth Century :
thou art Peter, and upon this Rock “I will build my
Church and the gates of hell shall never prevail against
her.” True faith is only in the bosom of the Catholic
Church.

f The general council lawfully assembled in the
Holy Ghost at Trent, wherein was defined that there
are seven sacraments instituted by our Lord Jesus
Christ, which give grace to the worthy receiver, and
whereby all the errors of modern times are anathema¬
tized, binds all Catholics to receive it and closely unites
; them to the faith of the Church and the holy fathers in
all ages, and makes them the lawful children of their
mother the Church.

94

tions nor. ecclesiastical decrees are to be violated
by which, according to the sacred consent of Catho¬
licity and antiquity, all' heretics of all times, and
last of all Pelagius, Celestius, ‘Nestorius, were
justly and meritedly anathematized; it is therefore,
necessary for all Catholics of future times who
desire to prove themselves the legitimate children
of their mother the Church, to adhere, to the holy
faith of the holy fathers, to stick to it with the
tenacity of glue, and make it the subject of their
most serious reflections, and at the same time to
detest, abhor, inveigh against and pursue the pro¬
fane novelties of profane innovators.

These are nearly the subjects, which have been
discussed more diffusely in these two Commonitories,
but have been somewhat more briefly limited by the
law of recapitulating; that my memory, for the
strengthening it a little we have compiled these,
may be repaired by daily admonition and not be
overburdened by the surfeit of prolixity.

95

INDEX.

Preface. — The author’s reason and design for un¬
dertaking the work. : . .13

CHAP. I. — The Holy Scriptures and the tradition
of the Catholic Church, is the only true and
sure Rule of Faith. • . . .15

CHAP. II. — In case of Schism, what guide we are
to follow. . . . .17

CHAP. III. — Examples to illustrate the prime prin¬
ciple of the foregoing Chapter. . . 19

CHAP. IV. — The persecution from the Allans con¬
firmed by St. Ambrose — feasts of the martyrs
and confessors — to avoid heresy we must follow
councils, Ac. of the Catholic Church. . 22

CHAP. V. — The Apostolical See of Rome always
the source of sound faith and doctrine. . 24

CHAP. VI. — Frauds of Heretics. . . 27

CH AP. VII. — The deposit of faith unalterable. 29
CHAP. VIII.— The character . and ways of Here¬
tics. . . . . .31

CHAP. IX. — False teachers are permitted by Pro¬
vidence to exercise the faith and virtue of the
faithful. . . . . .32

CHAP. X. — How dangerous the fall of a great man. 34
CHAP. XI. — The impieties of old Heretics. . 36

CHAP. XII.— Proofs of the Catholic faith. . 39

CHAP. XIII. — The humanity of Christ proved
against the Manicheans. . . .42

CHAP. XIV. — The hypostatical union takes place
at the conception, by the which the divine and
human natures are insepaiable in time and eter¬
nity, in the one person of Christ. . • 44

96

CHAP. XV — A summary of the foregoing Chap¬
ter. ...... 47

CHAP. XVI. — He expatiates on Chap. Tenth above,
and exemplifies the fall of Origen. . . 49

CHAP. XVII. — The same subject further illustrated
from the fall of Tertullian into the Montanist
heresy. . . . . .54

CHAP. XVIII.— God permits the fall of some to ex¬
ercise the faith and love of the Catholics to¬
wards him. . . . .55

CHAP. XIX. — The security and the steady faith
of the Catholic, and the condition of Heretics
divided among themselves and tossed about by
every wind of doctrine. . . .56

CHAP. XX. — The fickleness of reformers changing
every day their notions on religion — that we
should hold fast the old faith — avoid novelty —
an exhortation to return to Catholicity. . 58

CHAP. XXI. — A further illustration of the words of
St. Paul to Timothy his beloved disciple. . 61

CHAP. XXII. — In the revelation of Jesus Christ
is implicitly contained what has since been ex¬
plicitly defined by the Church, the pillar and
ground of truth. . . . .63

CHAP- XXIII. — Heresy to be avoided as a Scor¬
pion — the Catholic Church alone always the
same — tradition her support — novelties to be re¬
jected — all heretics separated from the Catholic
Church. : . . , .68

CHAP. XXIV. — The subtlety of heretics in quot¬
ing Scripture and wresting it to suit their novel
opinions. . . . . .71

CHAP. XXV. — The devil quoted Scripture to
tempt Jesus Christ : Heretics quote it to tempt
Catholics, at the suggestion of Satan their
master. . . . . .75

CHAP. XXVI. — What the Catholic must do a-
gainst the guile of Heretics who tempt him — he
is to trust to the traditions and doctrine of the
one holy and Catholic Church — those who re¬
ject that Church reject God. . . 77

97

CHAP. XXVII. — Heresy to be refuted by the Bible
^ explained in the general sense of the holy fathers
and decisions of councils — no one must despise
the Catholic Church. . . .79

CHAP. XXVIII. — Recapitulation of the two Com-
monitories — rule of Faith is the Bible and the
tradition of the Catholic Church. . . 83

CHAP. XXIX. — A list of those fathers whose wri¬
tings were consulted as a criterion, whereby
the fathers at Ephesus explained the Bible, and
confirmed the old true and one Catholic faith. 85
CHAP. XXX. — Antiquity is confirmed — novelty is
exploded at Ephesus — the caution of the fathers
in handing down to posterity what they received
from their predecessors— presumption of Nesto-
rius, who like Luther stood up against the whole
Catholic Church. . . . .88

CHAP. XXXI. — The great authority of Pope Six¬
tus and Ccelestinus, Bishops of the Apostolic
See at Rome — their superiority and precedence
before all the other Bishops. . . 90

CHAP. XXXII. — The insult offered to Jesus Christ
by those who reject the decrees of General
Councils — Heretics always reject antiquity —
conclusion. . . . .92

THE END.

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